Who is the ‘Midtown Jane Doe’? New York murder victim finally identified 21 years after remains were found hidden in concrete floor
NYPD detectives have identified a previously unknown murder victim whose body was discovered in 2003 and dubbed the “Midtown Jane Doe.”
After 21 years of exhaustive detective work, aided by ever-evolving forensic techniques, Detective Ryan Glas of the Cold Case Squad obtained a positive ID proving the victim was Patricia McGlone.
However, the killer is still unknown, and the identification will hopefully lead to new details in the case.
Although Patricia’s body was not discovered until the 2000s, it is believed that she had been dead for more than thirty years by then.
Learn more about the true identity of ‘Midtown Jane Doe’ and how she was identified below.
NYPD Detectives Identify ‘Midtown Jane Doe’ as Patricia McGlone (Snapshot Based on Genetic Profile Pictured), 21 Years After Her Remains Were Found
Manhattan construction workers discovered the body in 2003 while demolishing a concrete floor in a building in the Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan, New York, when a skull rolled out of the rubble.
An entire skeleton was found tied up and wrapped in a carpet. within the concrete floor
Who is ‘Midtown Jane Doe’?
On February 10, 2003, construction workers in Hell’s Kitchen, Manhattan, were preparing to demolish a building on West 46th Street and discovered a dead body.
As he smashed through a concrete floor, a skull tumbled out of a carpet hiding a complete skeleton of a 16-year-old who had been strapped into the fetal position before being encased in cement.
Unable to identify her at the time, the victim was labeled “Midtown Jane Doe” amid an outpouring of horror and curiosity.
Medical examination showed that the victim died from strangulation.
A gold signet ring engraved with ‘PMcG’ was found on one finger, and on her wrist was a 1960s Bulova watch. The body was also buried with a 1969 dime and a classic green toy soldier.
The building where ‘Midtown Jane Doe was found was a nightclub and rock ‘n’ roll venue, hosting the likes of The Doors and Jimi Hendrix, called Steve Paul’s The Scene, from 1964 to 1969 – possibly closing around the time of the murder.
How was ‘Midtown Jane Doe’ identified?
A gold signet ring was found on one finger with ‘PMcG’ engraved (pictured) and on her wrist was a 1960s Bulova watch. The body was also buried with a 1969 dime and a classic green toy soldier
The case was reopened in 2017 and using new methods, investigators were able to build a genetic profile of their victim, including an estimate of what they looked like (seen above left)
After the case was settled, it was reopened in 2017 and modern testing was applied to the forensic evidence, extracting DNA from the victim’s remains to form a genetic profile.
This profile allowed detectives to generate a snapshot of the victim, including an estimate of what she looked like.
This profile was linked to potential relatives using updated genealogical databases and investigators learned that the still unknown victim was born in 1953.
However, both of her presumed parents were deceased and she had no siblings, so finding a DNA match to confirm her identity as Patricia McGlone – a name that matched the initials on the aforementioned ring – seemed difficult.
Genetic experts claimed that the DNA of a specific maternal cousin was the answer and after a series of interviews with possible relatives in the US spanning several generations, Glas found his wife.
But this cousin was also dead. This wasn’t the end of the road, however, as Glas found her son, who revealed that in the aftermath of September 11, she had submitted a DNA swab because his sister, Patricia’s cousin’s daughter, had been killed in the terror attack.
Relatives of those who went missing after the 2001 tragedy have flocked to provide their DNA to help identify unknown victims.
This gave Glas access to a genetic file on the woman who then verified that “Midtown Jane Doe” was indeed McGlone.
Who was Patricia McGlone?
Now that the murder victim’s identity has been confirmed, NYPD detectives (Detective Ryan Glas pictured) have been able to reveal some details about the victim’s life, including that she was married at the time of the murder.
Now that the murder victim’s identity has been confirmed, NYPD detectives have been able to reveal some details about the victim’s life.
Patricia Kathleen McGlone was the daughter of Bernard McGlone and Patricia Gilligan. She was born on April 20, 1953, within a year of her parents’ marriage.
At the time of their marriage, Bernard and Patricia were 45 and 21 years old respectively. The two now deceased parents are not considered suspects by the police.
She attended a Catholic school and a public high school in Sunset Park in the 1960s, but her attendance record dropped in 1968 and 1969, according to Detective Glas.
In the period leading up to her death, Patricia was described by Glas as ‘a runaway and a truant’.
Apparently she married and lost contact with her family around the same time, although police have found no record of missing persons reports filed after her disappearance.
An active murder investigation has been launched to learn more about the circumstances surrounding Patricia’s death, with the exact date and age she died still unknown, but believed to have occurred in late 1969 or 1970.
According to NBCDetectives believe Patricia may have had a child who was the toy soldier buried with her.
Police have not named any suspects, but Glas said her former husband was connected to the building where her remains were found and his team is asking anyone who knew Patricia, her family or the area around Steve Paul’s The Scene at the time of her murder to contact the NYPD.