COLUMBIA, Ill. — The Columbia Police Department announced on March 14, 2025, that a woman previously known only as Jane Doe has been identified as Carol Hemphill, nearly 23 years after her remains were discovered in a creek bed along Illinois Route 3.
The skeletal remains were found on March 28, 2002, during a routine inspection by an Illinois Department of Transportation crew. Initial investigations estimated that the deceased was a black female, between the ages of 33 and 49, standing between 4-foot-10 and 5-foot-4 and weighing approximately 105 pounds. The remains were believed to have been at the site for about 12 months prior to their discovery.
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For over two decades, officers and detectives from the Columbia Police Department, along with the Major Case Squad of Greater St. Louis, pursued leads in the case without success. Despite extensive efforts and collaboration with various law enforcement agencies and local media, Hemphill's identity remained a mystery.
In recent years, Detective Sgt. Michael Barnett and Detective Luke Moravec revisited the investigation, leveraging advancements in DNA technology. The case received a significant boost in December 2022 when it was selected for a grant for forensic genetic testing. A portion of the remains was sent to the University of North Texas Center for Human Identification for analysis.
In late October 2024, detectives received a pivotal lab report linking the remains to a male DNA sample belonging to Dale Howard, which subsequently identified his biological mother as Carol Hemphill. Further investigation revealed that Hemphill had been reported missing in St. Louis County on July 27, 2001.
Following this discovery, detectives worked diligently to locate Hemphill's relatives, successfully contacting her husband, daughter, and sister. With assistance from the FBI, DNA samples were obtained from her family members and submitted for comparison. On February 24, 2025, the Columbia Police Department received a final lab report confirming the match and revealing the identity of the deceased.
“This breakthrough in the case is the result of relentless work by the Columbia Police Department detectives as well as collaboration with multiple agencies,” Police Chief Jason Donjon stated. He expressed gratitude to Hemphill's family for their cooperation and hope that this identification would provide some closure to her loved ones.
