Overview
- The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension confirmed on June 11 that dismembered remains found in Twin Cities lakes in 1993 belong to Denise Elaine Sexton Hartley.
- Her severed head was recovered near Bone Lake on June 12, 1993 and a foot was found in Pig’s Eye Lake a day later, evidence that complicated identification for decades.
- Washington County investigators began new work with the DNA Doe Project in 2024 and traveled to Columbus, Ohio to interview family and obtain a DNA sample from Hartley’s daughter that led to the match.
- Authorities say the cause and manner of Hartley’s death remain undetermined, no suspects have been arrested, and they are asking anyone with information to contact the Washington County Sheriff’s Office at 651-430-7850.
- The case highlights growing use of investigative genetic genealogy and cross-jurisdiction cooperation to identify cold-case victims and could generate new leads in other decades-old investigations.