On January 27, 1993, two young boys walking along a wooded trail near Rend Lake in Wayne Fitzgerrell State Park, near the small village of Ina in Jefferson County, Illinois, noticed a decapitated human head resting among the brush. Her torso and limbs were nowhere to be found. For nearly thirty years, "Ina Jane Doe" remained one of the Midwest's most chilling unsolved decapitations.
Discovery, Medical Examination & Dental Profile
Pathologists determined the victim was a Caucasian female between 20 and 35 years old, with reddish-brown shoulder-length hair and distinctive blue eyes. She had been decapitated postmortem using a heavy bladed weapon within 48 to 72 hours of discovery.
Forensic odontology revealed extensive dental work: she had multiple porcelain crowns, silver amalgam restorations, and composite fillings. Detectives distributed her dental Panorex nationwide, but with no missing persons reports in Illinois matching the description, the case grew cold.
Chronological Case Timeline
| Date / Year | Location | Event / Investigative Milestone |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 27, 1993 | Wayne Fitzgerrell State Park | Decapitated female head discovered near Rend Lake in Ina, IL. |
| 1993 | Jefferson County, IL | Buried in Oakwood Cemetery in Mount Vernon, Illinois as "Unknown Female." |
| 2020 | Astrea Forensics | Jefferson County Sheriff's Office submits degraded hair and bone to Astrea Forensics. |
| 2021 | Redgrave Research | Genealogist Anthony Redgrave leads kinship triangulation across Tennessee lines. |
| April 1, 2022 | Mount Vernon, IL | Sheriff Jeff Bullard announces Ina Jane Doe is 25-year-old Susan Lund of Clarksville, TN. |