BAKER COUNTY, Ga. — After 37 years, the remains of one woman have now been identified.
Mary Anga Cowan, also known as “Angie,” was found unconscious on the west side of Ga. Hwy. 91 in Baker County, north of Newton. Cowan was later taken to a hospital in Albany. She died in June of 1985, according to a news release from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
The GBI medical examiner’s office concluded that Cowan died from a subdural hematoma, which is a type of bleeding that happens between the skull and brain.
GBI investigators believe the bleeding was caused by blunt force trauma to the head, but could not determine what caused her injury. Cowan, who was unknown to anyone in the area, went unidentified for 37 years.
Mary "Angie" Cowan identified 37 years after her disappearance
Cowan’s remains were exhumed in 2012 in an attempt to figure out who she was. A bone fragment was sent off for isotope analysis. This practice examines the bones and teeth of an individual to see where they grew up.
Investigators use the analysis to narrow down the search. However, “no leads were developed” from the results, according to the release. In 2022, Cowan’s DNA was sent off to a private company to be analyzed.
This time, a DNA profile was created from the analysis, which was then sent to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Using the profile, the FBI conducted genealogical research, which connected Cowan to her children.
A DNA comparison of the child and the woman supported the likelihood that Cowan was the missing woman.
The GBI said Cowan was reported missing a little less than a month before she died. Cowan was reported missing in Seminole County, Fla., about five hours from where she was found.