The mystery of who I-196 Jane was has been solved by Michigan State Police and the DNA Doe Project, but now Detective Sergeant Scott Ernstes says that brought more questions about 28-year-old Marcia Bateman of Oklahoma City.
“She had no ties to Michigan,” Ernstes tells WSJM News. “We’re trying to determine how she made it to Michigan, a significant 15-hour drive to where she was found.”
Bateman was reported missing by family in August 1988, three months after she was last seen. Ernstes says she may have visited her mother or other relatives.
“Her mother was living in Dallas and she had other family living in Los Angeles. So after she left her apartment in Oklahoma City, there was talk she may have visited her mother or other family members, and we’re still tracking down some of that information,” said Ernstes, adding Bateman’s mother has since died. All the woman has left for living relatives are aunts and cousins, none of whom were close with her.
Michigan State Police are asking anyone who was friends with Bateman to call or email them. Ernstes says it doesn’t matter how insignificant someone thinks their information might be, as it could lead them to the answers about her death. Bateman’s remains were found in Covert Township along I-196 on October 12, 1988 by a hunter and went unidentified until this fall.
Anyone with information or who knew Bateman is urged to call (844) 624-8384 or send an email to MSP-51TIPS@michigan.gov.
