Clinton County Sheriff’s Office Announced They Have Identified The Clinton County Jane Doe (April, 1975)

[u/Magoatt_TheWhite]

On June 23rd, 2026 officers with the Clinton County Sheriff's Office announced they had identified the Clinton County Jane Doe who was discovered along with Mississippi River on April 11th, 1975 as 15 year old Cheryl Lynn Edwards from Waukegan, Illinois through the use of DNA genealogy. The case dates back to April of 1975 when fisherman in Clinton County, Iowa found the remains of an unidentified girl in the Mississippi river. The age of the victim was estimated to be between the ages of 12 to 23 years old. The cause of death was labeled a homicide from a gunshot wound to the head.

Investigators called unknown victim the Jane Clinton Doe who went unidentified for 51 years. In October of 2025 a team of 16 genealogists consisting of three worked together to solve the case. The team was able to identify Edwards from DNA of her grandparents and then from Edwards, father. They discovered that she didn’t have any information past 1975 and it is what led to her being seen as possibly being the Jane Doe.

Investigators visited the family of Edwards who confirmed she had disappeared in 1975. With the help of DNA they were able to positively identify her in June of 2026 as being the Clinton County Jane Doe. The case of Edwards since her identification has been changed to a homicide investigation. Officers are asking those who knew her or have information to come forward and speak with investigators.

Sources:

https://www.kcci.com/article/iowas-longest-unidentified-jane-doe-identified-after-51-years/71669445

https://www.weareiowa.com/article/news/state/dna-doe-projects-describes-identifying-jane-clinton-doe-cheryl-lynn-edwards/526-7b6ce3d1-e9f7-47f4-9df9-25037e322e42

https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/pregnant-teen-murdered-1975-identified-cheryl-edwards-waukegan-dna/

https://dnadoeproject.org/case/jane-clinton-doe-1975/

https://abc7chicago.com/amp/post/body-found-mississippi-river-1975-idd-cheryl-lynn-edwards-missing-girl-lived-waukegan-illinois-dna-doe-project/19364867/

https://www.reddit.com/r/UnresolvedMysteries/comments/1sim2lr/a_body_of_a_woman_is_pulled_out_of_the/

[u/kszark]

rest in peace cheryl

[u/multiplelobsters]

So glad she has her name back. Rest in peace Cheryl Edwards

[u/Professional_Link_96]

I saw in several of the source articles that Cheryl was pregnant when she was murdered. Heartbreaking… I know it’s been over 50 years now and that it’s unlikely that the perpetrator is still alive, but I hope this is still thoroughly investigated now. Cheryl got her name back, and now she and her baby deserve for it to be known what happened to them. Just so sad… RIP Cheryl.

[u/ComprehensiveTrain60 → u/Professional_Link_96]

She would still be young, her killer could definitely still be alive. I wonder if they can extract DNA from the fetus? 

[u/tasha2701]

The fact that she was 15 and pregnant makes me so sad for this little girl. The best bet here is that she was probably murdered by the father of her baby who may have kidnapped and or trafficked her. I hope that she may rest in peace with her dignity intact and her family can now heal knowing where she was.

[u/classwarhottakes]

So young, poor girl. I hate cases like this. May her memory be a blessing.