Woman Killed & Left in Illinois Farm Field in 1991 Identified Now

The mystery hasn't completely been solved, but a 33 year old Illinois cold case is now another step closer to a resolution. A report says that a woman who was killed and dumped in an Illinois farm field in 1991 has now been identified from DNA.

The County Herald is reporting that the sad story of a woman found by an Illinois farmer in his field decades ago now has a name. Using what has been described as advanced DNA sequencing, authorities now know her name is Paula Ann Lundgren, 29, from the Chicagoland area.

The LaSalle County Coroner’s Office shared that she had been found by a farmer wrapped in a curtain near Mission Township in Illinois in his field with no shoes or belongings. She was buried in a cemetery in LaSalle County with a headstone that read “Somebody’s Daughter, Somebody’s Friend.”

The County Herald story says her body was exhumed in 2013 to extract DNA samples, but it wasn't until 2019 when a university professor named Dr. Matthew Johll from Illinois Valley Community College joined the investigation. 5 years later, the advanced DNA technology finally connected the remains to a relative which is when they knew this was Paula Ann Lundgren.

The investigation isn't over yet, though. Now, Illinois law enforcement investigators hope her identification will lead them to her killer so that justice can finally be served.