The mystery surrounding the identity of a murder victim found behind a popular Pennsylvania restaurant over two decades ago has finally been solved. The Bucks County Courier Times reported that the victim, known as “Clubhouse Jane Doe,” was discovered on September 18, 1995, by local children playing near the Clubhouse Diner in Bensalem. The body of the unidentified woman was found unclothed, decomposing, and wrapped in plastic in a shallow grave behind the 24-hour restaurant. Various items, including clothing, a wooden bead massage cushion, and two crucifixes, were also found buried nearby and collected as evidence.
The cause of death for the victim was determined to be strangulation, with investigators estimating that she had been deceased for two to three years. Thanks to the diligent work of the Bensalem Police Department investigators and the use of genetic genealogy, the woman has now been identified as 31-year-old Merrybeth Hodgkinson, a Bucks County resident who went missing from Warminster in 1992.
Detective Chris McMullin of the Bensalem Police Department, who reopened the Jane Doe case in 2002, expressed his satisfaction with the recent breakthrough. He shared with Oxygen.com, “I’m very happy about it. Merrybeth has her name back now. That’s a beautiful thing.” McMullin employed various strategies over the years to give the victim a name, including obtaining a court order to exhume Jane Doe’s body in 2004 and creating a 3D sculpture with the help of The Doe Network. Despite media coverage of the facial reconstruction, no new evidence was uncovered.
In a significant development, Hodgkinson’s DNA was entered into an international database last November, leading to a match with a surviving sibling pair in December. The siblings had submitted their DNA to a genealogy website to trace their family tree, ultimately leading to the identification of Merrybeth Hodgkinson. McMullin acknowledged the crucial role played by Jennifer Moore, CEO of Innovative Forensic Investigations, and Bode Technology in the identification process.
Authorities discovered that Hodgkinson was a single mother of two who worked as an exotic dancer in various strip clubs in Lower Bucks. Despite her disappearance in 1992, no missing person report was filed by her relatives. Hodgkinson was declared dead in 2006, although her parents had passed away before her identification.
During a live press conference, McMullin declined to reveal the name of a suspect when questioned by reporters. He expressed his intention to gather more information from individuals close to Hodgkinson at the time of her murder, particularly friends, colleagues, and others in her social circle, to piece together the events leading to her death. The investigation into Merrybeth Hodgkinson’s murder continues as authorities seek to unravel the circumstances surrounding her tragic demise..
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