A skull found in the walls of an Illinois home over four decades ago in 1978 has finally been identified.

The skull, originally found when an owner was renovating his home in Batavia, went forgotten until March 2021, when it was finally sent to the coroner’s office. 

The Indiana teen, identified as Esther Granger, 17, died more than 150 years ago, according to the Kane County Coroner’s office.  

DNA HELPS ILLINOIS POLICE MAKE BREAKTHROUGH IN 1970S COLD CASE MURDER OF 19-YEAR-OLD

The coroner’s office held a press conference where they revealed the identity of the owner and how they were able to crack the case by building a DNA profile.

“Esther was born on Oct. 6, 1848 in Indiana. In 1865, at 16 years old, she married Charles Granger and after a few months became pregnant with their first child,” Coroner Bob Russell told the news conference. “In May of 1866, Esther gave birth to a baby girl but lost her life soon after due to complications from childbirth,” he said. Granger was buried in Indiana and the baby was named Esther in her honor.

Kane County Coroner Rob Russell is pictured with an artist’s rendering of the likeness of Esther Granger as he speaks during a press conference on Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024 in St. Charles, III. Investigators have determined that a skull discovered in the wall of an Illinois home in 1978 was that of an Indiana teenager who died more than 150 years ago, authorities announced Thursday.  ((Brian Hill/Daily Herald via AP))

It is still unclear how the skull came to be in the home, but Russell has a theory.

“We will never definitely know exactly, but with records and good reason, we’ve come to a common sense theory: we believe Esther was a victim of grave-robbing,” Russell said. 

“Grave robbing was quite common in that era as it was quite profitable. The grave robbers made the equivalent of three to four months’ earnings for the average person working 60 hours a week,” he added.

Officials constructed a family tree and were able to find Granger’s great-great-grandson, Wayne Svilar, 69, a retired sergeant from Portland, Oregon, through a DNA sample, as well as illustrate an image of her possible appearance.

DNA FORENSICS HELPS IDENTIFY REMAINS FOUND IN COLORADO FREEZER AS TEENAGER MISSING FOR NEARLY 20 YEARS

A 3D printed reproduction of a skull that was found in a wall of a house being remodeled in 1978 is seen during a press conference on Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024 in St. Charles, Ill. Investigators have determined that a skull discovered in the wall of an Illinois home in 1978 was that of an Indiana teenager who died more than 150 years ago, authorities announced Thursday.  (Brian Hill  via ASSOCIATED PRESS)

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Svilar said at the news conference that he was wary at first of the news.

“To be completely honest, we didn’t believe a word of it,” he told the news conference. “I said, ‘you can keep talking if you want, but I don’t believe you.’”

He also claims that the sketch has a likeness to his own mother.

Svilar traveled to the internment where he gave a eulogy. Granger was laid to rest in the West Batavia Cemetery, where she has an engraved stone tower. 

Dr. Patricia Clark Brown and her sister Rose Morris will never forget Dec. 4 1969.

That was the day Black Panther Party leaders Fred Hampton and Mark Clark — their brother — were gunned down in a Chicago police raid on their West Side apartment. “I’ll never get it out of my mind,” said Brown, who was 23 at the time.

Now, the sisters said, future generations will be able to learn about that dark day as well as the humanitarian legacy of the Panthers — and their brother.

“Much of this history is buried, and many of the youth do not know this story of the Black Panther Party,” Morris said. “So by sharing that information, knowledge is power, and knowledge is strength.”

On Sunday, the Historical Preservation Society of the party’s Illinois chapter kicked off its Black Panther Heritage Trail project with a private celebration at the Better Boys Center for the Arts, 1512 S. Pulaski. The project aims to document and tell the stories of important sites in the history of the Illinois party in its own words.

Last week the organization received 13 historical markers that will be placed at sites of important structures throughout the Chicago area. The 13 markers were on display Sunday, surrounded by black-and-white photographs of important people and events in the chapter’s story.

The plaques include a QR code that visitors will be able to scan that will eventually lead to a webpage telling the history of the location. Leila Wills, executive director of the preservation society, says her team is working on building those webpages.

The center for the arts is one of the places that will be marked. It was the site of the chapter’s first Free Breakfast for Children program in 1969. Clark was instrumental in the program.

Billy Brooks, a party member who started the breakfast program in North Lawndale, said it was an important initiative because many children were going to school hungry. He said many people don’t know the party held these types of programs because of misinformation spread by law enforcement.

“What’s important is to get actual information out, because there are so many misconceptions, so many untruths,” he said. “So hopefully by having these markers out here … we can create a space that will allow people to do research to get a true understanding.”

The Black Panther Party, founded in the 1960s, grew out of the Black Power movement and provided other services as well, such as healthcare. The FBI, however, considered it a violent, gang-like organization and launched a counterintelligence program against it.

The leaders of the landmark effort pushed to add its history to the National Register of Historic Places to tell their own story. The thematic listing, which notes several locations crucial to the group’s history, was approved last December. Since then, the preservation society has raised more than $40,000 for the markers.

Not everyone associated with the party was on board with the move.

Fred Hampton Jr., chairman of the Black Panther Party Cubs and son of the former Black Panther leader, led a coalition opposed to the efforts. He has said that giving these sites historic recognition would further spread misinformation as the party was still working to undo the harms it had already sustained.

Other locations that will feature plaques include the site of the police raid in which Hampton and Clark were killed, at 2337 W. Monroe St., and the location of the chapter’s free medical center, at 3850 W. 16th St., that has been demolished.

Cheryl Peterson, a physician, said she learned valuable skills while providing healthcare services as a member of the party when she was a teenager. She also worked in the chapter’s breakfast and housing programs.

Peterson said she hopes the markers also spur a conversation about which histories are taught and which aren’t.

“That’s the purpose of having markers and being able to speak your own history, because it appears that no one wants to speak it for us with truth,” she said.

The upcoming Big Ten battle between Minnesota and Illinois will be played at 11 a.m. CT Saturday, as was announced late Saturday night after the Gophers crushed Maryland 48-23 and the Illini were smacked by No. 1 Oregon 38-9.

Minnesota had a chance to get the primetime Saturday slot on NBC but the Big Ten elected to go with the Wisconsin versus Iowa matchup, leaving the Gophers the morning kickoff. Here’s the full Big Ten slate for Nov. 2:

11 a.m. — Ohio State at Penn State (FOX)

11 a.m. — Minnesota at Illinois (FS1)

11 a.m. — Northwestern at Purdue (Big Ten Network)

2:30 p.m. — Oregon at Michigan (CBS)

2:30 p.m. — Indiana at Michigan State (Peacock)

2:30 p.m. — Nebraska at UCLA (Big Ten Network)

6:30 p.m. — Wisconsin at Iowa (NBC)

6:30 p.m.. — USC at Washington (Big Ten Network

At 5-3, the Gophers are have three in a row and can argue that they could be 7-1 if not for a missed game-winning field goal at the end of the fourth quarter against North Carolina and a controversial offsides call that nullified their onside kick recovery in the fourth quarter against Michigan. Minnesota was also dominated Iowa in the first half before getting blown out in the second half.

At the end of the day, the Gophers are one win from becoming bowl eligible with four games left in the regular season. How many wins are possible? Winning at Illinois won’t be easy but it’s possible. Then they play at Rutgers before finishing the season at home against No. 3 Penn State and then at Wisconsin.