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For decades, the identity of a woman whose partially decomposed body washed ashore on Lake Erie remained a mystery. With no clues to her identity, Jane Doe was also known as "disco woman."

Breakthroughs in DNA technology finally identified her.

Patricia Greenwood's body was discovered on March 30, 1980. She was found on the beach near Cedar Point Road in Sandusky, Ohio. She was found wearing a size 12 yellow "disco style" dress. 

The body was described as a Caucasian woman aged 20-30. And she was 5'5" tall and weighed around 120 lbs.  And there were no identifying items found on her body.

On March 30, 2023, exactly 43 years after her body was found, the City of Sandusky Police Department confirmed her identity. She was Patricia Eleanor Greenwood, a Michigan native born in 1948. And was 32 years old when she died.

Her death was immediately considered a homicide.  Sandusky Police Detective Eric Costante described the body "She had significant injuries to the right side of her body, including a broken femur and pelvis."

 "Our next steps are to try and, find out what indeed happened to her," he said.

DNA identifies “disco woman” at Porchlight

The Porchlight Project is a nonprofit dedicated to funding new DNA testing and genetic genealogy for cold cases in Ohio. In 2021 it offered to fully fund the effort to identify the Jane Doe found on Lake Erie's shores.

 Sandusky Police Detective Eric Costante sent a tissue sample to Bode Technology, a forensics lab known for its work with the Porchlight Project.

"The dedication and commitment of our partners in the Avon Lake Police Department, the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office, the Erie County Sheriff, and Coroner’s Office, the Sandusky Police Department, Bode, and the Porchlight Project solved this 43-year mystery, and their outstanding teamwork brought closure to the family of Patricia Greenwood nearly five decades later," says United States Marshal Pete Elliott.

The Bode Forensic Genealogy team was able to extract DNA from the skeletal remains. And built a familial tree to trace Patricia Greenwood's identity. 

The team utilized public databases and other evidentiary information to generate a strong lead for the Sandusky Police Department. The genealogy work led to a family with 12 children who were given up for adoption in various towns in Michigan. 

Detective Costante then spoke to one of the surviving brothers, who revealed that he had not heard from his sister, Patricia Greenwood, since around the time the body was found in Sandusky. 

Further interviews with surviving siblings suggested that Patricia may have been a sex worker at the time of her disappearance.

Sandusky Police need information

"The Sandusky Police Department is grateful for the assistance of the United States Marshals, Porchlight Project, and Bode Technology for their help with this investigation," Detective Eric Costante announced.

"Being able to give Patricia Greenwood her name back is the first step in finding the justice that she so deserves," Porchlight Project board member Nic Edwards said. "Thank you to the brilliant folks at Bode for the wonderful work that they do.”

Anyone that knew Patricia Greenwood or has information about her death, please contact Sandusky Police at 419-627-5980.