The body of a teenager, discovered in the Mississippi River near Clinton, Iowa, over half a century ago, has been identified as Cheryl Lynn Edwards from Waukegan. This information was confirmed by the Clinton County Sheriff’s Office through a recent news release.
Cheryl Lynn Edwards was linked to the earlier unidentified body using forensic genealogy. In April 1975, sheriff’s deputies responded to a report of a dead teenager in the river north of Clinton. Although an autopsy confirmed she was a homicide victim, her identity remained unknown at the time.
Despite investigators’ efforts, identifying her proved elusive until breakthroughs in DNA technology enabled a fresh look at the evidence. Edwards was the daughter of the late Bernice and Leonard Edwards, once residents of Waukegan. Upon identification, authorities informed surviving family members, who had been searching for her since her disappearance.
The new technological analysis has allowed the homicide investigation to advance. The Clinton County Sheriff’s Office is actively collecting evidence to find who was responsible for her death.
A photo of Cheryl Lynn Edwards appeared in a 1975 Waukegan High School yearbook, affirming her recent identification by law enforcement. The Clinton County Sheriff’s Office is now partnering with the Waukegan Police Department and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigations. They are appealing to the public for any information related to Edwards’ life, disappearance, and death.
Leave a Reply