Remains Of Pregnant Philly Teen Who Disappeared in '85 Identified

Philadelphia PA

10 March, 2021

1:25 PM

Description

PHILADELPHIA — Skeletal remains found in 1988 in suburban Philadelphia have been identified as a missing, pregnant teen from Philadelphia who disappeared three years before the remains were found. "Publicker Jane Doe" was, in fact, Lisa Todd, who had disappeared from her Philadelphia home in 1985. Her remains were found in an underground pump house at the abandoned Publicker Distillery in Bensalem Township. According to Bensalem Township Police, investigators were able to finally identify Todd's remains thanks to a genealogist and after finding two living family members in Philadelphia. The family members told them Todd had disappeared in 1985 and never been heard from again. What happened to Todd more than 33 years ago remains a mystery — one that police say they are still intent on solving. "The family is still alive and have many family members in the city of Philadelphia," said Fred Harran, Bensalem Township's public safety director. "We know that there is someone out there that has more information on this particular case and we want that person to come forward." Todd's remains were found on Jan. 24, 1988, by a couple walking their dog. Since the discovery, she had been believed to be a woman from age 17-23 who was about six months pregnant.Her description did not match any reports of missing persons or runaways at the time, according to police. On Tuesday, police said Todd, who also had a 2-year-old child, was reported missing to Philadelphia police in October 1985, but was taken out of the National Crime Information Center's database on her 18th birthday. Story by Doug Gross