A skull found in the wall of an Illinois home is that of a teenage girl who died from childbirth complications in 1866, officials announced in a news conference following a public fundraiser to identify the remains.
The girl, Esther Granger, was from Merrillville, Indiana, and died at the age of 17 when Andrew Johnson was president, investigators said Thursday.
Earlier this month, professional photographer Thomas Doggett, 3D Resin Solutions of South Elgin, Illinois, and forensic artist Natalie Murray were able to work together to make an artist rendition of what Granger may have looked like.
The girl’s skull was found in November 1978 in Batavia, Illinois, about 43 miles west of Chicago, according to the Kane County Coroner’s Office.
Property owner James Skinner was doing renovations on his home when he found the skull and some items behind a baseboard. He told police what he’d found, allowing them to collect the items and skull and start an investigation, the coroner’s office said.