Murder of Amy Yeary

Amy Marie Yeary (December 9, 1989 – c. August 15 or 24, 2008) was an American woman whose body was discovered on November 23, 2008, near Campbellsport, Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin.

[1] Her body remained unidentified for 13 years before investigators announced her identification via forensic genealogy and dental records on November 23, 2021.

[2][3] Her face was reconstructed digitally by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in 2009 and again in 2018 to approximate her appearance, as decomposition ruled out visual identification.

[2] The remains of a young woman were found frozen in a creek by deer hunters on November 23, 2008, in Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin, near an abandoned farm.

[7] Some articles of clothing were found, including a strapless Zoey Beth brand black-and-pink top with a pink bow, determined to have come from Family Dollar, where it had been available in the spring of 2008.

[6][10] The legs of her Angels brand jeans had been rolled up for several turns, and an elastic ponytail holder was found on her wrist.

Other physical characteristics included a healed rib fracture and being pigeon toed or knock-kneed, which may have been noticeable when she walked, as her feet were slanted inward.

[8][6][10] The reconstruction of the victim generated over two hundred tips that did not produce solid leads, as the composite apparently resembled a large number of missing people.

[7][18] Former missing person Amanda Berry, one of several possible identities of the Jane Doe, was ruled out by DNA analysis.

She was eventually recovered alive after meeting a "church missionary" who reported the information to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.

[26] Biological samples were sent to Astrea Forensics (Santa Cruz, CA), where a DNA profile was successfully generated for the purposes of investigative genetic genealogy.

[27][28] On November 28, 2021, thirteen years to the date of the discovery of her remains, it was announced that Yeary was positively identified via genetic genealogy conducted by Barbara Rae-Venter.

A forensic rendering of then-unidentified Yeary by Carl Koppelman , incorporating the clothing she was found wearing.
Facial reconstructions of Yeary by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children .