Woman’s Body Was Found in the Brush Nearly 60 Years Ago. Now Her Identity Has Been Revealed By David Chiu

Nearly 60 years after a woman was found murdered outside of Chicago, authorities identified her as a missing member of a Native American community in Washington state.

Martha Bassett, originally from Wapato, moved from Washington to the Chicago area in 1960 under the federal Indian Relocation Act of 1956, which “encouraged Indigenous peoples to move from reservations to urban areas,” according to the Will County Coroner’s Office.

However, by 1967, Bassett’s family lost contact with her and traveled to the Chicago area out of “concern for her welfare.” Ultimately, their efforts were unsuccessful and they eventually returned home — but they never stopped searching for her.

On Sept. 30, 1968, a woman’s body was discovered in the brush near the intersection of I-55 and Blodgett Road in Will County.

According to CBS News, at the time, a headline in a local paper just read “Woman found dead” as detectives didn’t know anything else about the victim.

“It states in the report they did go back to look for any evidence, and they didn’t find anything,” cold case investigator Bill Sheehan told the outlet. “We could tell you that there was blunt force trauma, so she died that way.”

As the Will County Coroner’s Office explained, “at the time, investigative resources and forensic technology were limited, and despite efforts, authorities were unable to make a positive identification.”

Unable to identify her, the woman’s unidentified remains were interred in a local cemetery — and her identity remained a secret for decades to come.

In 2009, due to advances in technology, the case was reopened.

“Portions of the skeletal remains were sent to the University of North Texas and the Smithsonian Institute Paleontology Department,” officials wrote. “Their initial analyses determined that the remains were possibly of Native American descent, a detail that provided a crucial clue to the victim’s identity.”

Another forensic study conducted in 2017 further confirmed that the victim was of “Asian and Native American descent.”

Related Stories

Human Remains Found in Car Submerged in N.C. Creek Likely Linked to 1982 Cold Case, Police Say

Human Bones Pulled from Submerged Car Believed to Belong to Man Who Disappeared 15 Years Ago

Authorities said that cold case investigators then reached out to a number of tribes in Illinois and Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa, asking about any reports of a missing person from the late 1960s who fit the description of the victim.

A flyer created about the case was also shared online and with local communities, leading investigators to contact one of Bassett’s distant relatives. Officials were eventually able to connect with one of the woman’s nieces, “who provided the necessary DNA to make the match.”

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.  

The coroner’s office hailed the resolution of the 1968 cold case as “a triumph of scientific progress, interagency cooperation, and human perseverance,” and highlighted the power of persistence and advances in forensic science. 

“The case stands as a testament to what can be achieved when modern technology is applied with compassion and resolve—and it offers hope to the families of other missing persons that answers, though sometimes delayed, can still be found,” they added.