Missing Bronx mother identified 34 years after skeletal remains found in Berks County | Berks Regional News

WINDSOR TOWNSHIP, Pa. — The Berks County Coroner’s Office has identified a woman whose remains were discovered more than three decades ago.

On June 3, 1992, a farmer working in a field along Christman Road in Windsor Township, between Balthaser Road and Dreibelbis Road, discovered a human skull lying atop freshly turned soil, the coroner’s office said.

Authorities were immediately notified, and a subsequent search revealed a shallow grave containing partial skeletal remains.

An examination of the remains determined they belonged to a white female believed to be between 25 and 40 years of age and approximately 5 feet 3 inches tall, officials said.

Investigators estimated that the remains had been buried for at least one year prior to their discovery.

Due to the condition of the remains, an exact cause and manner of death could not be determined, according to the coroner’s office.

A forensic facial sketch was created in an effort to identify the woman, and investigators utilized every available resource at the time, including DNA analysis, media outreach, and entry into national databases such as the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs), officials said.

Despite these efforts, the woman remained unidentified and became known as “Christman Jane Doe,” authorities said. 

For 34 years, investigators from the Berks County Coroner’s Office and Pennsylvania State Police remained committed to identifying her.

In 2024, the Berks County Coroner’s Office partnered with Parabon NanoLabs, Inc. to initiate a Forensic Investigative Genetic Genealogy examination, utilizing advanced DNA technology to trace potential family connections through ancestral DNA, according to a news release.

Over the next two years, the Berks County Coroner’s Office and Pennsylvania State Police worked closely with Parabon NanoLabs and forensic specialists to develop investigative leads.

Officials say that their efforts ultimately led investigators to a family in Bronx, New York, who had been searching for their missing loved one since the early 1990s.

On April 14, 2026, through the combined efforts of forensic genetic genealogy, investigative research, and the cooperation of surviving family members, Christman Jane Doe was positively identified as Nuria C. Rodriguez, according to the coroner’s office.

No longer known only as Jane Doe, she is once again recognized by her name and remembered by those who loved her, the coroner’s office said.

Authorities say she was a daughter, a sister, and, most importantly, a mother. She was only 25 years old when she disappeared from Bronx, New York.

Her family knew something was wrong when she failed to appear for her child’s birthday – a day they say she would never have missed, the coroner’s office said.

For more than three decades, they searched for answers and held onto hope that one day they would learn what happened to her.

This identification is the result of decades of dedication by investigators, forensic specialists, and partner agencies who refused to let the case be forgotten, we were finally able to restore her identity and reconnect her with her family, the coroner’s office said.

“Every unidentified individual is more than a case file; they are a person with a name, a history, and loved ones who continue to search for answers. With the identification of Nuria, she is no longer an unknown victim. She is a daughter, a sister, and a mother whose absence left unanswered questions for those who cared about her most,” the coroner’s office said in a statement following the identification. 

The coroner’s office says while her identity has now been restored, the investigation into the circumstances surrounding her death remains active.

Anyone with information regarding Nuria C. Rodriguez or the circumstance of her disappearance is encouraged to contact Pennsylvania State Police Troop L, Hamburg, at (610) 562-6885.