HONOLULU (KHON2) — Skeletal remains found by Honolulu Police more than 10 years ago have finally been identified. Experts said with the advancement of science and DNA evidence, cold cases can now be moved off the back burner.
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The remains of Mary Sue Fink were found in June 2014 by Honolulu police and she was recently identified with DNA evidence by a lab in Texas.
Hawaii detectives push to solve decades-old cold case
“That one piece of the puzzle that was sent in is responsible in part for the resolution and identification of this Jane Doe baby,” said Dr. Robert Mann, Professor of Anatomy & Pathology at the University of Hawaii Medical School.
Scientists at Othram used “forensic grade genome sequencing” to develop a DNA profile. From that profile, they found a potential relative and made a positive identification after testing.
“And again, the biggest unknown, the biggest difficulty for everybody in the world is for a young child to be able to figure out what the sex of that child is,” said Mann. “Puberty hadn’t kicked in all these different sexual dimorphic features that make boys and girls different in their bones. They’re not there yet. So thank goodness they did the job that they did.”