For the first time since her recovery 24 years ago, Jane Manhattan Doe 2000 has been identified as...
www.missingkids.org
Her Name is Alexa: Sisters' Search for Truth
For the first time since her recovery 24 years ago, Jane Manhattan Doe 2000 has been identified as Alexandria “Alexa” Isadora Skolnitsky.
As the youngest of four, Alexa Skolnitsky was only six years old when her sisters last saw her. Separated in their youth by foster care, the four sisters ended up in vastly different places around the country – ultimately losing contact with one another.
However, as the sisters grew up into adulthood, they slowly began to reconnect. As the years passed and the other siblings found one another, Alexa’s older sisters were left with uncertainty of her fate. No one seemed to know where she was or what had happened to her.
When it seemed like no one could find her, two of Alexa’s sisters, Linda and Veronica, took it upon themselves to begin searching for Alexa. They started to contact family members, previous foster parents, and even went to social media, posting on Facebook, hoping someone would recognize her.
And eventually someone would.
While Alexa’s sisters were focusing on finding and reuniting with their little sister, multiple agencies behind the scenes were working to obtain the identity of the 2000 Jane Doe. When her case was received at the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC), forensic artists completed a facial reconstruction image of what she may have looked like in life. In 2023, NCMEC’s Forensic Services Unit and the NYC OCME Forensic Anthropology Unit reviewed the case. At that time, it was decided that there was enough available evidence to pursue forensic genetic genealogy.
NCMEC’s partners at Innovative Forensic Investigations (IFI) conducted the genealogy research and within just a few days, IFI developed a lead that Jane Doe could be Alexandria “Alexa” Isadora Skolnitsky.
While the genealogists at IFI were searching for Alexa’s family, they came across a post on Facebook where details resembled the information about Jane Doe. The post was from Alexa’s sisters, Linda and Veronica, seeking answers to find their long-lost sister.
That’s when the final pieces began to fall into place. Given the knowledge from genealogy and the Facebook post, Jane Doe 2000 and Alexa were most likely the same person. NYC OCME forensic anthropologists sought out direct communication with Alexa’s mother to confirm the identification.
A direct DNA comparison completed by the NYC OCME Forensic Biology laboratory confirmed the unidentified girl was indeed Alexa Skolnitsky. She was only 19 years old at the time of her death.
When her family received the call from NYC OCME with the news, they were devastated. After years of searching for an answer, they finally had one – but not the resolution they hoped for. What happened to her is still a mystery.
“If I could tell Alexa one thing today, it would be how sorry I am that I could not keep all of us together,” said Veronica, Alexa’s oldest sister.
Alexa’s family, including her mother, Mary Lyon, are thankful to all the agencies that came together to solve Alexa’s case.
“I was surprised that they were able to piece together all this information and solve such an old case,” Mary said. “I am happy that Alexa finally has her name back and that she is at peace.”
Unfortunately, Alexa’s sisters do not have any photos of her as an adult, but for Linda and Veronica, they want the world to remember Alexa like they do: smiling, bright-eyed and happy.
They find peace in knowing that despite the circumstances, Alexa finally has her name back.
:format(jpeg):mode_rgb():quality(40)/discogs-images/L-339505-1326750933.jpeg.jpg "NEW YORK JANE DOE (2000): WF, 12-18, found in Hudson River - 6 May 2000 L-339505-1326750933.jpeg")
