DNA tests identify 19th-century teenager's skull found in Illinois home's wall

ST. CHARLES, Ill. (AP) — Investigators have determined that a skull discovered in the wall of an Illinois home in 1978 was that of an Indiana teenager who died more than 150 years ago, authorities announced Thursday.

According to a timeline provided by the Kane County Coroner's Office, the property owner found the skull while renovating the home in Batavia. Police launched an investigation but the case went cold and the skull was relegated to the Batavia Depot Museum for storage.

The skull went forgotten until March of 2021, when museum supervisors discovered it during an inventory audit. They called police, who sent the skull to the coroner's office. Working with Othram Laboratories, a forensic laboratory in Texas that assists law enforcement, the office was able to build a DNA profile from the skull that suggested it was that of Esther Granger, a 17-year-old woman who died during childbirth in Merrillville, Indiana, in 1866.

The investigators matched the DNA profile to Granger's great-great grandson, Wayne Silvar, allowing them to confirm her identity. Officials interred the skull at West Batavia Cemetery this past August at the city's expense.

It's unclear how Granger's skull ended up in Batavia. Burial records indicate she was interred in Lake County, Indiana. Kane County Coroner Rob Russell speculated in a news release that grave robbers may have dug up her body to sell it to physicians looking to learn more about human anatomy.

A 3D printed reproduction of a skull that was found in a wall of a house being remodeled in 1978 is seen during a press conference Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024 in St. Charles, Ill. Investigators have determined that a skull discovered in the wall of an Illinois home in 1978 was that of an Indiana teenager who died more than 150 years ago, authorities announced Thursday. (Brian Hill/Daily Herald via AP)

Kane County Coroner Rob Russell is pictured with an artist's rendering of the likeness of Esther Granger and a photograph of her skull during a press conference Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024 in St. Charles, Ill. Investigators have determined that a skull discovered in the wall of an Illinois home in 1978 was that of an Indiana teenager who died more than 150 years ago, authorities announced Thursday. (Brian Hill/Daily Herald via AP)

Kane County Coroner Rob Russell is pictured with an artist's rendering of the likeness of Esther Granger as he speaks during a press conference Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024 in St. Charles, Ill. Investigators have determined that a skull discovered in the wall of an Illinois home in 1978 was that of an Indiana teenager who died more than 150 years ago, authorities announced Thursday. (Brian Hill/Daily Herald via AP)

An artist's rendition of 17-year-old Esther Granger, who died in 1866 in Merrillville, Indiana. A property owner discovered her skull in the walls of a home he was renovating in Batavia, Illinois, in 1978. The Kane County, Illinois, Coroner's Office announced Thursday that DNA samples prove the skull was Granger's. It's unclear how it ended up in the home (Kane County, Illinois, Coroner's Office via AP)

INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — John and Jim Harbaugh hugged at midfield during pregame warmups Monday night as the Baltimore Ravens took on the Los Angeles Chargers.

It's the third time the Harbaugh brothers have faced off as NFL coaches, but the first since Super Bowl 47 in 2013, when the Ravens beat the San Francisco 49ers 34-31 in New Orleans.

The other regular-season game took place on Thanksgiving night in 2011. The Ravens beat the Niners 16-6 in Baltimore.

Jim Harbaugh left San Francisco after the 2014 season to take over at his alma mater, the University of Michigan. Harbaugh coached at Michigan for nine seasons and won the national title last season before being hired by the Chargers.

He said last week he was thankful for the chance to have another matchup with his brother.

“Walking off the field at that Super Bowl was like, there will be another day. And then there wasn’t for many years and it looked like I wouldn’t have a chance for another day,” he said. “But by the grace of God, I’m back in it and back on a team that has a chance.”

The brothers talked for a couple minutes and posed for photos before returning to their teams.

“I love my brother. And I’d lay down my life for my brother. But I would not let him win a football game,” Jim Harbaugh told ESPN during a pregame interview. “He wouldn’t want it that way. It feels cool and we’re ready to have at it.”

John Harbaugh said before the game that coaching against his brother is complicated, because sometimes their teams are mirror images of each other.

“It’s all the things we love about each other and then its all the things we know about each other that we have to overcome in a game like this," he told ESPN. "He’s a great coach. He’s a great man. He’s a great leader and he’s got a great football team, so that makes it complicated.

Their parents, Jack and Jackie Harbaugh, celebrated their 63rd wedding anniversary on Monday. They attended the first two games between the brothers, but are spending Thanksgiving week in Bradenton, Florida, at their daughter Joanie’s house.

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Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh, right, talks to his brother, Baltimore Ravens Head Coach John Harbaugh, before an NFL football game Monday, Nov. 25, 2024, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)

Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh, right, shakes hands with his brother, Baltimore Ravens Head Coach John Harbaugh, before an NFL football game Monday, Nov. 25, 2024, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)