Michigan Remains Identified 31 Years Later As Oklahoma Woman

State police say human remains discovered by a Michigan hunter 31 years ago have been identified as an Oklahoma woman.

First Lieutenant Chuck Christensen tells WOOD-TV that the identity was made by comparing a femur bone with a public genealogy database and interviewing family members. Marcia Bateman of Oklahoma City was 28 years old when she disappeared in 1988.

Christensen says Bateman’s death remains under investigation. He says she was “living on the street a little and somewhat transient.”

The remains were found off Interstate 196 in Van Buren County, roughly 200 miles (321 kilometers) west of Detroit.

Christensen gave credit to the DNA Doe Project, which uses genetic genealogy to identify people. Anyone with information about Bateman can call police at (269) 657-5551.