Investigators identify Jane Doe found dead in Mississippi River after more than 50 years

CLINTON CO., Iowa. (KWQC/Gray News) - Investigators identified the body, who they believed to be the longest known Jane Doe in Iowa.

The body was identified as 15-year-old Cheryl Lynn Edwards.

In April 1975, Clinton County sheriff’s deputies responded to a report of a dead woman in the Mississippi River, north of Clinton.

Edwards remained unidentified despite extensive investigative efforts after she was discovered.

An autopsy determined the cause of death to be homicide.

Officials said investigators continued to work to identify the victim over the years. Edwards was identified more than 50 years after her body was found through forensic genetic genealogy.

Members of Edwards’ family had been looking for her since her disappearance, and deputies said they had been notified of the identification.