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A missing persons report was filed a year before she was found. Yet her remains went unidentified for 3 decades

Forensic genealogists used at-home DNA tests and family matches to identify Shelly Rae Kephart after nearly 30 years as an unidentified Jane Doe in Michigan.

  • Authorities confirmed the identity of the woman found in a Coopersville, Michigan, cornfield in 1994 as Shelly Rae Kephart, using forensic genealogy.
  • Michigan authorities long suspected Garry Dean Artman, an alleged serial killer, in the death of Kephart; hunters discovered the body in a rural cornfield.
  • The Ottawa County Sheriff used forensic genealogy in 2022, tracing Kephart's family tree to Minneapolis to confirm her missing report, authorities state.
  • Garry Artman, who was suffering from terminal lung cancer, previously admitted to killing women and was serving a sentence for one murder while facing charges for another.
  • Authorities seek public assistance by calling 738-4000; the Ottawa County Sheriff investigation states 'Artman may be responsible for the murder, though there is no direct evidence that ties him to the murder.
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A missing persons report was filed a year before she was found. Yet her remains went unidentified for 3 decades

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·Cherokee County, United States
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Duluth News Tribune broke the news in Cherokee County, United States on Thursday, March 19, 2026.
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