Remains identified nearly 25 years after being removed from Wilmington mausoleum

A 15-year-old cold case is closed tonight. Newcastle County Police recently identified the remains of a woman found back in 2011 along Edgemoor Road in Wilmington. Action News reporter Brianna Smith joins us live from Wint-Minquedale with details on how investigators were able to crack this case. Brianna. Yeah Walter, well Newcastle County Police say this was a collaborative effort with investigators, professors, and the community. After connecting with the woman's family, they say that they learned that her remains were actually stolen from her grave and dumped in a wooden area. It was very emotional. A 15-year-old cold case now closed. Newcastle County Police say this investigation began in 2011 with the discovery of human remains in Wilmington's Sellers Park. Authorities conducted a forensic analysis. They determined that the bones belonged to a between a 25-year-old and a 50-year-old female and at that time we were trying to determine who these bones belonged to. Investigators did not find a DNA match at the time. In 2019, the county's cold case squad reopened the case. From 2011 to 2019, there's a lot of scientific changes with DNA and science and it was a good time to review this case. This time, detectives called in Joe Mullins, a forensic art professor at George Mason University. These aren't skulls. These are these are lost loved ones that have lost their identity. After gathering data and a 3D scan of the skull, Mullins created a facial reconstruction. The features start to reveal themselves. Through investigative genealogy, detectives found a potential family match in January and determined the remains were those of 29-year-old Hannah Kleitz. Kleitz's family member told police in 2002 her bones were illegally removed from a mausoleum at Riverview Cemetery in Wilmington. Detectives don't know how or when the remains ended up at Sellers Park. Last week, Kleitz's remains were finally returned to her resting place. It was good to see her go back where she belonged. Yeah, detectives say Kleitz died in 1907 from an illness, so they were happy to resolve this case and bring some closure to her family. Live in Mingledale, Breanna Smith for Action News at 10 on PHL-17. Walter? Hey Breanna, thank you.