The Columbia Police Department hosted a press conference last Friday morning regarding a cold case centered around the remains of a Jane Doe found over 20 years ago.

Monroe County Coroner Bob Hill, who is also mayor of Columbia, was joined by Columbia Police Chief Jason Donjon in identifying the previously unknown remains of Carol Hemphill, a woman who had been reported as missing in St. Louis City on July 27, 2001.

Hill, offering background on the case, recalled how a crew from the Illinois Department of Transportation on March 28, 2002, discovered skeletal remains along the creek bed south of Gall Road in Columbia while cleaning the shoulder of Route 3.

With an autopsy conducted and the manner of death classified as a homicide, a forensic anthropologist examined the remains and determined them to be those of an African-American female between the ages of 33 and 49 who had given birth at least once. It was further determined that she’d been along the creek bed for about 6-12 months before the discovery and was the victim of a homicide.

The remains continued to go unidentified for 23 years until advancements in forensic testing and continued efforts on the part of area law enforcement led to the identification of Hemphill.

Hill recognized that the identification was rather a mix of emotions for Hemphill’s family, many of whom were present during Friday’s press conference.

“When we made the call to Mrs. Hemphill’s husband and daughter to confirm identification, it was a bittersweet moment,” Hill said. “When I took office as coroner, solving this case was one of my goals. We understand the pain, grief and uncertainty that families experience when a loved one goes missing, and we are relieved to finally provide closure to the Hemphill family.”

Hill offered credit to a number of individuals and groups who contributed to the identification – particularly Columbia’s Detective Sergeant Michael Barnett and Detective Luke Moravec.

Per a press release shared at the press conference, it was this pair of CPD detectives that began taking a new look at the case.

The case received a significant boost in December 2022 as it was selected for a grant providing funding for forensic genetic genealogy testing.

Some of the remains were sent to a lab at the University of North Texas Center for Human Identification for analysis, with a lab report coming in October 2024 revealing a connection between the remains and a male DNA sample belonging to Dale Howard. 

Further analysis confirmed Howard’s biological mother was identified as Carol Hemphill.

Further DNA samples were obtained from Hemphill’s family members and submitted to the University of North Texas for comparison, the final lab report confirming a match just a few weeks ago. 

Additional parties Hill nodded to included the Columbia Police Department as a whole, Illinois State Police, the University of North Texas Center for Human Identification, St. Charles County Police Department, Major Case Squad of Greater St. Louis, St. Louis County Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigations, acknowledging the tremendous collaboration that took place among all agencies.

“Thanks to advances in forensic science, expanded DNA testing and genealogical research, investigators were able to make the breakthrough connection that ultimately identified Mrs. Hemphill,” Hill said.

Hill would speak further on the case later as, during Monday night’s Columbia City Council meeting, Alderman Lauren Nobbe thanked the police department for closing the Jane Doe case, saying “I remember that happening. I was just in high school, but that was very scary at the time. Luckily that’s a rare occurrence. Just the fact that you guys didn’t give up on it 20-plus years later, thank you… amazing work.”

“Lucky to have some very good detectives in the police department,” Hill responded.

Donjon also spoke at Friday’s press conference, offering his own overview of the case and touching on some of the advancements in forensic science that allowed for this identification to take place.

Barnett also spoke on this matter, noting that forensic science at the time focused on one-to-one comparisons and familial searches. More recent developments include giant databases of forensic data from sources like genealogy tests allowed for this kind of case process.

Speaking on the future of the case, Donjon emphasized it is considered to still be ongoing as Hemphill’s murderer is hopefully identified.

“We are going to continue our efforts,” Donjon said. “This case is not done. We want to close this case for you all. Today, however, is about officially reporting that Carol Hemphill has been identified and is no longer missing. Today is about getting Carol back to her loved ones for proper services. We hope the identification of Carol brings some sense of closure to you all.”

Responding to a question from a reporter in the audience, Donjon acknowledge the potential connection between Hemphill’s case and convicted serial killer Maury Travis of Ferguson, Mo., who was active around the time of her disappearance.

Travis murdered at least 12 women, and claimed to have killed 17, all in separate incidents between 2000 and 2002.

Noting that Travis died in 2002 at St. Louis County Jail, Donjon indicated his department is reaching out to other departments that dealt with the other murders in an attempt to see if any DNA or other items might line up.

With law enforcement officials speaking on the details of the case and the continuing investigation into her death, members of Hemphill’s family were present to hear about and honor their sister, mother and grandmother.

“It means a lot to our family,” said Catricia Hemphill, Carol’s daughter. “This journey is still not over. This is a big step, finding my mom, but we still need justice to be served.”