Milwaukee County Medical Examiner's Office
MILWAUKEE - The Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s Office has positively identified a woman found dead in the Milwaukee River in 1982 as Berline Trammel, who was born on November 17, 1955.
The identification was made possible through a collaboration between the Milwaukee Police Department and the Wisconsin Department of Justice’s Division of Criminal Investigation, using advanced forensic investigative genetic genealogy.
Cold case details
The backstory:
On March 16, 1982, an off-duty firefighter discovered the body of an unidentified woman in the Milwaukee River while checking on his boat docked near 420 North Plankinton Avenue.
Investigators estimated she had been in the water for up to three months before being found. At the time of recovery, her age was estimated to be between 15 and 29 years old.
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Despite extensive investigative efforts at the time, traditional methods failed to reveal the woman’s identity.
Renewed investigative efforts—driven by advanced DNA testing and genetic genealogy—allowed agencies to track down biological relatives and identify the woman as Berline Trammel.
The Source: The information in this post was provided by the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner's Office.