5 chilling details about Patricia McGlone's murder

Patricia McGlone was a teenager whose body was discovered by construction workers while pulling down a building in Manhattan's Hell's Kitchen. It was on February 10, 2003, while breaking a concrete floor in the basement, that the remains of a skeleton came out.

The body was severely decomposed, and initially, authorities couldn't find out the original identity of the woman. She was called Midtown Jane Doe, and the case went cold in 2003. It took the New York Police Department more than two decades to find her true lineage.

The new episode of Crime Junkie Podcast titled IDENTIFIED: Midtown Jane Doe explores the complete investigation behind finding the true story of Midtown Jane Doe. The episode was released on March 24, 2025.

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5 key details about the murder of Patricia McGlone

1) Patricia McGlone died due to strangulation

Forensics found that the victim died due to strangulation (Image via Pexels)

As per USA Today, the body of Patricia McGlone was found wrapped in a carpet and cemented to the concrete. When the investigators reached the crime scene, they discovered that the body was in a fetal position and was tied with an electrical cord.

Upon investigation, the New York Medical Examiner's Office revealed that the girl was 5 feet 2 inches tall and was better 17 to 19 years old when she died. Forensics ruled out that the cause of her death was strangulation.

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2) Patricia McGlone's belongings revealed crucial details about her

Patricia's belongings revealed that she was murdered during the 1960s (Image via Pexels)

As per CNN, when investigators searched the body, they found that she was wearing a gold signet ring with the initials "PMcG" engraved on it. Additionally, they found a Bulova watch from the 1960s era, a dime from 1969, and a green plastic toy soldier.

With the discovery of her belongings, it was concluded that the Midtown Jane Doe was killed somewhere between the late 1960s and early 1970s. With the lack of more concrete evidence to prove her true identity, the case eventually went cold in 2003.

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3) The case of Patricia McGlone was reopened in 2017

Investigators used the latest forensic technology after reopening Patricia McGlone's case in 2017(Image via Pexels)

As per USA Today, it was in 2017 when the New York City Police Department reopened the cold case of Midtown Jane Doe. The remains, which were preserved from the crime scene, were sent to be tested with the latest forensic technology.

Investigators primarily tried to create a DNA profile from her bones. But since the skeletal remains underwent an advanced stage of decomposition, it took forensics another 6 years to completely form a genetic profile.

Finally, it was in 2003, a DNA profile of Midtown Jane Doe was created, which was big enough to be uploaded to genetic databases. With the help of genetic genealogy, Investigators found that her DNA came from the family tree, with the surname McGlone. Finally, it was revealed that the true identity of Midtown Jane Doe was Patricia McGlone.

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4) Patricia McGlone was a young mother when she was murdered

Investigators claimed that Patricia was a young mother (Image via Pexels)

As per USA Today, Patricia McGlone was the daughter of Patricia Gilligan and Bernard McGlone. She was born on April 20, 1953, and was living in the neighborhood of Brooklyn. Both of her parents were deceased.

As per CBS News, Patricia was enrolled in a Catholic School. Her school records showed that she had numerous attendance shortages between 1968 to 1969. She was a runaway who dropped out of school and got married when she was 16.

As per USA Today, she had a husband and a baby—the toy soldier was evidence of that. As per CNN, she was receiving benefits from her father, who died in 1963. However, as per CBS News, no disappearance reports were filed, indicating she was not connected to her family when she died.

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5) Patricia McGlone's DNA was connected to a 9/11 victim

The DNA of Patricia was found connected to a 9/11 victim (Image via Pexels)

As per CBS News, genetic geneology connected her DNA to one of her maternal cousins, which was confirmed after a series of interviews taken among her relatives across the United States.

The maternal cousin was already deceased, but her son revealed that his mother had provided a DNA swab to the New York City medical examiner. This was done to find her sister, who was a victim of the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001.

The DNA sample was uploaded to the database to find the lost victims. This finally confirmed that Patricia was a part of the McGlone family. As per CNN, detectives pointed out that Patricia McGlone's husband was somehow connected to the building where her body was found. The search for his identity is underway.

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Check out our other articles to know more details about other ases on the Crime Junkie Podcast.