CAMAS, Wash. — Most of us are shaped by family; the relatives we know and those whose legacies we can only trace on paper. And then, there's Wayne Svilar. He never imagined how his great-great-grandmother, Esther Ann Granger, would shape his life more than a century after her death.
"It's bizarre," said Wayne. "Whenever I tell anyone about it they go, 'What?!'"
After Esther's death, the fate of her soul took a twisted turn — and only now, 158 years later, is she truly at rest.
"She was buried in a cemetery in Indiana, and they believe her remains were dug up from the cemetery by grave robbers," shared Wayne. "The technology is one part of (solving the case), the other is people who care."
It started last spring with a phone call to Wayne's home in Camas. It was someone from the Kane County Coroner's Office, located near Chicago, Illinois. Wayne's wife, Marge, answered.
"(The caller) asked if Wayne Svilar lived here and I said yes," said Marge. "She said, 'Well, through DNA sequencing and paper trail we believe that these bones are Wayne's great-great-grandmother.' I got off the phone and I thought, 'Wayne's never gonna believe this.'"
He didn't. Suspecting the call came from scammers, Wayne called back anyway, "Just for fun."
"I feel bad about it now," said Wayne. "I told her right off the bat, 'You know I don't believe you, right? I'll allow you to talk but I do not believe you.'"
A morbid curiosity
The coroner told Wayne about a cold case originating in Batavia, Illinois in 1978. At the time, it made headlines in the Batavia Chronicle, with headlines declaring, "Human bones found in home" and, "Remodeling holds surprises."
In an old house behind a plaster wall, homeowner Martha Skinner had discovered a partial skull and a lower jawbone. Said Skinner to reporters: "When I first found it, I was hysterical. I could tell it was human because of its size and I just freaked out!"
Police concurred. Investigators figured the bones had fallen behind the wall from the attic, but whose were they?
For the next 45 years, the skull would sit in storage at the Batavia Historical Society Museum. Then, three years ago, a volunteer rediscovered it and the remains were once again on the move. This time, they landed in the Kane County Coroner's Office. Deputy Coroner Gabriela Allison got the case.
"I feel honored to really be a part of Esther's story and Wayne's family's story," said Allison.
"The biggest challenge was just getting (Wayne) to believe us," added Kane County Coroner Rob Russell.
Russell said people in Batavia were struck by the morbid mystery and anxious to help identify the remains. Through crowd funding, they raised $7,500 for DNA testing. The county hired Texas-based Othram, which specializes in cold case resolution.
"Othram told us that the skull was highly processed ... and in saying that, that would lead us to believe that it was used for teaching, for educational purposes," said Allison.
Family documents show Esther Granger died at age 17 in Marysville, Indiana, from complications of childbirth. It was 1866, a time when grave robbing was a real problem. According to historians, doctors would often buy cadavers to practice on, and a body-snatching wretch could fetch four months' wages for delivering a corpse.
"This kind of thing happened, unfortunately, way too commonly," said Russell. "They would either part them out or sell them as a whole. They made a lot of money — and obviously, the fresher the better."
Investigators believe grave robbers dug up Esther's remains then hauled them 200 miles north to a buyer in Batavia.
"The first true homeowner of the home in Batavia was a surgeon," said Russell.
Closing the cold case loop
The cold case was heating up. When Allison tracked down the Svilars, all she knew about Wayne was that he was one of Esther's last living relatives. But sometimes, the story just writes itself.
"Because she was talking about cold case and DNA, I said, 'Do you know what Wayne used to do?'" said Marge, recalling her first conversation with Allison. "I said, 'He used to work with cold cases with the Portland Police Bureau.' And she's like, 'You're kidding!'"
Wayne helped launch Portland's cold case unit in 2005. He's retired from the police bureau now, but the hundreds of cases he worked on are still with him.
"It was emotional," said Wayne. "I remember at times when the whole team was crying along with the family, and it was really rewarding to put some sort of closure to it."
It all felt serendipitous to the team in Kane County.
"I instantly had a connection with (Wayne) just because I could tell he was very passionate about his work," said Allison. "And I think that he also felt the same way about us, here."
Wayne agreed to DNA testing, which confirmed the identity of Esther's remains.
"They're committed and they really want to do the best that they can," said Wayne.
The coroner's office wanted to lay Esther to rest — but in another sense, bring her back to life. To achieve that, a forensic artist created a rendering of Esther, using her partial remains. With no family photos, it was the first time they'd seen a potential image of her.
"I was emotional just to finally put a face to the name," said Allison. "I did kind of cry."
The Kane County Coroner's office flew Wayne to Illinois and organized a memorial for Esther, and the city of Batavia donated space for Esther's ashes.
"We do this because it's important," said Russell. "Every life is important."
It all meant the world to Wayne.
"I want to really thank Gabby and Rob for their persistence," said Wayne during the ceremony. "I also want to thank them for their respect. The respect they showed to my family and also for Esther."
It's true. Most of us are indeed shaped by family, but that also includes the relatives we choose.
"(Wayne) has become a family member of the Kane County Coroner's Office," said Russell during the memorial. "Wayne, from the bottom of our hearts, we thank you for assisting us."
Back home in Camas, the Svilars often think of Esther and her new significance in their family's history.
"There was a sense of, the journey is completed," said Wayne.
It only took 158 years and believing the unbelievable.
"I don't know what (Esther) is thinking now but I'm very glad that she's at peace," said Marge. "Finally."
This story is part of our series, Pacific Storyland. From the ordinary to the extraordinary, we'll bring you the most heartwarming and inspiring stories from where you live. Know someone you'd like to see featured? Let us know! Email us at pacificstoryland@kgw.com or text your story ideas to 503-226-5088.