Bones ID’D as missing Carroll Co. woman
CARROLLTON – Bones found along an embankment in eastern Carroll County in March have been identified those of a missing Lee Township woman, according to Sheriff Dale Williams.
Dr. Mandal Haas, Carroll County’s coroner, said the cause and manner of the death of Karen S. Hansen, 61, will remain undetermined.
Her skeletal remains were found near Bay and Torch roads in Fox Township, about seven miles east Carrollton near the Jefferson County line on March 21.
Sheriff Dale Williams said Hansen had been living with a man she had met at a mental health facility when, at some point, she walked away from home.
She’d been reported missing Sept. 3, 2019, Haas said.
On March 21, a landowner on a fourwheeler inspecting his property stakes spotted the remains and called the sheriff’s office.
“The area where she was found had some rugged terrain. It was in a wooded area, difficult to access,” Haas said.
Determining her identity was also difficult.
Hansen’s skeletal remains were sent to the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation where traditional DNA testing was not as helpful.
“We had to resort to mitochondrial DNA,” thousands of which are in each cell and follow from the maternal line, Haas said. He said such DNA tend to “last longer in harsh environments.”
Investigators obtained a swab from her brother in California and, as a result, were able to verify her identity, he said.
Reach Lori at 330-580-8309 or lori.steineck@cantonrep.com.
On Twitter: @lsteineckrep