Pregnant woman found dead in Indiana basement 32 years ago is identified through dad's DNA: "I couldn't believe it"

A pregnant woman who was found dead in 1992 in a northeastern Indiana basement has been identified through forensic genetic genealogy and DNA provided by her father, authorities said Thursday.

The woman was identified as Tabetha Ann Murlin of Fort Wayne, who was about 26 weeks pregnant at the time of her death, said Allen County Coroner Dr. E. Jon Brandenberger.

"This is Tabetha's day, and you've been waiting to have a day for her for all this time," the coroner said at a news conference attended by some of Murlin's relatives nearly 32 years after her body was discovered.

Brandenberger said Murlin would have been 23 when a construction worker found her decomposed body wrapped in a blanket in May 1992 in the flooded basement of a home being renovated in Fort Wayne.

Investigators estimated the then-identified woman had died between late 1991 and early 1992.

The case eventually went cold, but efforts to solve her death were renewed in 2016 when her case went into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System, CBS affiliate WANE-TV reported.

The coroner's office shared photos of Tabetha Ann (Slain) Murlin as officials explained the timeline to uncovering her identity. MORE: https://t.co/vFWx9ZtSzt pic.twitter.com/TbLWoOska7

— WANE 15 (@wane15) February 15, 2024

Her body was exhumed in March 2017 to collect DNA samples for analysis.

A nearly complete DNA profile was eventually extracted and initially uploaded to a database of offenders before it was uploaded in January to genealogical databases, officials said. A forensic genealogy company was then able to identify Murlin's father, her late mother and two aunts.

Murlin's identity was confirmed after her father submitted a sample of his DNA for testing in January, authorities said.

Chief Deputy Coroner Christopher Meihls met with the man believed to be Murlin's father, whose DNA was submitted to Indiana State Police, WANE-TV reported.

"The coroner came to my house, they talked to me and they told me that she passed away," Murlin's father said. "I couldn't believe it."

Murlin was buried in Lindenwood Cemetery on May 21, 1992, WANE reported.

"This was such a team effort," Brandenberger said. "From our office, to the state police, to the different places around the country where the DNA went."

The cause and manner of Murlin's death have not been determined and the investigation into her death is continuing, officials said Thursday.

Anyone with information on what led to Murlin's death should reach out to authorities at 260-427-1201 for the Fort Wayne Police Detective Bureau; Fort Wayne CrimeStoppers at 260-436-7867; or report an anonymous tip using the P3Tips mobile app.

In:
• Cold Case
• DNA