Remains of Clarksville's Susan Lund, missing since 1992, identified in Illinois
Nearly three decades ago, Susan Lund, 25, vanished on Christmas Eve, around 7:30 p.m., as she walked from her home to a local grocery store in Clarksville.
One month later, law enforcement in southern Illinois discovered human remains at Wayne Fitzgerrell State Park — approximately 180 miles from Montgomery County.
Yet it wasn't until last week that the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office announced remains discovered in 1993 were of Lund.
The first case update in decades occurred thanks to a team of experts that examined a decapitated head found in the state park with modern forensic technology and methods.
During the years following Susan Lund's disappearance, her husband, Paul Lund died, according to the Clarksville Police Department. He was a Ft. Campbell solider at the time and reported his wife missing.
The couple met in high school in Northern Indiana and shared three children, according to The Leaf-Chronicle archives. Local reporters also documented that Lund was pregnant when she vanished hours before Christmas in 1992.
According to the Redgrave Research Forensic Services, which identified Lund, a multi-agency search was conducted for several months, but the official missing persons case was closed.
When the human remains were found in early 1993, the woman was estimated between 30 and 50 years of age, and may have had torticollis or “wry neck syndrome,” a condition that may have caused her head to have a sideways tilt during life, the Forensic Services stated in a news release.
Forensic methods updated and refined
Decades passed.
In February 2021, Amy Michael, an assistant professor of Anthropology at the University of New Hampshire, approached the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, offering to reexamine the case utilizing updated forensic methods, according to a news release from Redgrave.
"As forensic methods are updated and refined, it is critical to reevaluate cold cases and utilize new approaches, like forensic genetic genealogy, alongside anthropology to achieve identification," Michael said.
Writer and researcher Laurah Norton collaborated with Michael. It was determined the woman likely did not appear significantly asymmetrical during life. A new forensic image was created by artist Carl Koppelman.
Samples from "Ina Jane Doe" remains were sent to a forensics laboratory in California to create a DNA profile suitable for utilizing forensic genetic genealogy. The DNA profile was then provided to Redgrave, a genealogy company located in Massachusetts. The profile was uploaded to the data file to GEDmatch on February 3, 2022.
Redgrave’s genealogy team had a potential match within one day of DNA matching research, the release said. The potential ID was forwarded to law enforcement who reached out to Lund's family members.
A DNA sample was provided by a sibling for direct comparison to Ina Jane Doe, the release said.
Due to the remains being located Illinois, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office will serve as the lead agency for the homicide investigation; the Clarksville Police Department will work in conjunction with the agency, said Scott Beaubien, an agency spokesperson.
Information about Susan Lund on or following December 24, 1992
Detective Bobby Wallace, Jefferson County (IL) Sheriff’s Office: (618) 244-8004 or bwallace@jeffil.us
Detective Bruce Kilby, Clarksville Police Department: 931-648-0656, ext. 5651
To remain anonymous and remain eligible for a cash reward, call the Clarksville Montgomery County Crime Stoppers Tipsline at 931-645-8477 or submit a tip at P3tips.com/591.
Alexis Clark can be reached at aclark@gannett.com.
Information about Susan Lund on or following December 24, 1992
Detective Bobby Wallace, Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office: (618) 244-8004 or bwallace@jeffil.us
Detective Bruce Kilby, Clarksville Police Department: 931-648-0656, ext. 5651
To remain anonymous and be eligible for a cash reward, call the Clarksville Montgomery County Crime Stoppers Tipsline at 931-645-8477 or submit a tip at P3tips.com/591.
This article originally appeared on Clarksville Leaf-Chronicle: Remains of Clarksville mother missing since 1992 IDed in Illinois
