MN cold case victim identified more than 30 years later in Washington County

SCANDIA, Minn. (FOX 9) - DNA technology led to a breakthrough in a Minnesota cold case when a woman's dismembered remains were identified more than 30 years after authorities began investigating her death. 

Denise Elaine Sexton Hartley was 27 years old and the youngest of 15 children when she disappeared in 1993. She was last known to be in St. Paul. 

The circumstances of her death are still being investigated, and no arrests in the case have been announced. 

DNA technology identifies MN cold case victim 30 years later 

Local perspective:

Hartley's severed head was found near the shoreline of Bone Lake in Scandia, which was formerly known as New Scandia Township, on June 12, 1993. 

Her foot was later discovered in Pig's Eye Lake in St. Paul. 

The Washington County Sheriff's Office and the Ramsey County Medical Examiner's Office then partnered with the nonprofit DNA Doe Project to investigate the case utilizing genetic genealogy. 

Investigators interviewed Hartley's family members in Columbus, Ohio, and obtained DNA from her daughter.

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension then confirmed Hartley's identity through DNA analysis. 

Authorities say they continue to investigate the cause and manner of Hartley's death, and no suspects in the case have been arrested. 

Sheriff's Office statements

What they're saying:

Washington County Sheriff’s Detective Clayton Evens shared the following statement:

"Cases like this stay with you. Even after decades, there’s always hope that one day the science will catch up to the questions that couldn’t be answered at the time, and it finally did."

Sheriff Dan Starry added this statement:

"Denise disappeared just weeks before I started my career with the Washington County Sheriff’s Office in 1993. To see this case come full circle more than 30 years later is a reminder that no matter how much time passes, we never stop looking for answers for victims and their families. While we cannot change what happened, we can honor Denise by restoring her identity and giving her family the answers they deserve."

The Washington County Sheriff's Office is also thanking the DNA Doe Project for contributing to the case. 

What you can do:

Anyone with information on the case is asked to contact the Washington County Sheriff's Office at 651-430-7850.

The Source: This story uses information shared by the Washington County Sheriff's Office.