New Jersey 1982 Cold Case Solved — DNA Shocked Suspect 

New Jersey 1982 Cold Case Solved — DNA Shocked Suspect 

40 years ago, an American teenager was discovered beaten to death in a graveyard in New Jersey. >> [music] >> Her face was so severely damaged that identifying her was impossible at the time. The American public started calling her Princess Doe, the Jane Doe who had died far too young. For four decades, her true name remained a mystery until now.

Hi, and welcome to True Crime Narrator. And in today’s episode, I’m going to walk you guys through the story of how Princess Doe was murdered, how her identity was uncovered, and how her killer was eventually caught. Let’s dive right into it. Princess Doe was a previously unidentified American teenager from West Babylon, New York.

 She was found killed in Cedar Ridge Cemetery in Blairstown, New Jersey on the 15th of July, 1982. Her face had been beaten beyond recognition. Her case drew national attention, and the public took a deep interest in uncovering her story and seeking answers. She became the first unidentified body to be entered into the National Crime Information Center.

On the morning of Thursday, July 15th, 1982, at around 8:00 a.m., gravedigger George Kyes came across the body of a young girl in the rear section of the Cedar Ridge Cemetery in Blairstown, New Jersey. The body was found lying face up just over a steep bank that slopes toward a creek below.

 The victim’s face had been beaten beyond recognition with an object yet to be identified. Due to the severe decomposition of her body, even her eye color could not be confirmed. >> [music] >> The young girl was dressed in a red short-sleeve shirt. A peasant-style skirt was discovered lying across the victim’s legs.

 No shoes or undergarments were found. No definitive physical evidence was collected, but this was difficult to determine given how severely the body had decomposed. A golden cross necklace was found tangled in the victim’s hair. Two earrings were found in her left ear. Red nail polish was found on the right hand only, and she had no surgical scars, distinct birthmarks, or tattoos.

Scars or marks on the head or face area could not be assessed due to the state of the body. Forensic anthropologist determined that the victim was not pregnant and had never given birth, and was most likely between 14 and 18 years of age at the time of her death. Toxicology revealed no traces of drugs, but was not entirely conclusive due to the time elapsed between the death and the discovery of the body.

 It is believed that the body was found after 2 to 3 days, or possibly even weeks of exposure to the elements. This was especially difficult to determine because of the hot and humid conditions in the area at that time. The forensic examination suggested that the girl had tried to fight back or defend herself from her attacker, as injuries indicating trauma to her hands and arms were visible.

The girl’s body was laid to rest in the Cedar Ridge Cemetery, not far from where she was found. In January 1983, donated funds were used to cover the cost of the victim’s coffin and headstone. The headstone was engraved with the words Princess Doe, missing from home, dead among strangers, remembered by all. For many years, Princess Doe was believed to be Diane Genice Dye, a missing teenager from San Jose, California, who vanished on July 30th, 1979.

This theory was supported by several law enforcement officials in the state of New Jersey, who went as far as to organize a press conference identifying Diane Dye as Princess Doe. However, Lieutenant Eric Crons, the Princess Doe case’s original lead investigator, maintained that Diane Dye was not a viable candidate for Princess Doe’s identity.

Crons’s views were shared by Diane’s family and investigators in California, who were particularly upset by the actions of the New Jersey law enforcement. In 2003, Princess Doe’s DNA was compared with a DNA sample from Diane’s mother, Patricia, and it was conclusively confirmed that Princess Doe was not Diane Dye.

 After noticing images of the girl’s clothing in the newspaper, a witness named Anne Marie Latimer reported to authorities that she recalled seeing a girl wearing the same outfit as Princess Doe buying cigarettes on July 13th, 1982, just 2 days before her body was found. Latimer stated that she was shopping with her daughter at a supermarket across from the cemetery and was able to describe the victim’s clothing.

The shirt and skirt themselves were traced back to a manufacturer in the Midwestern United States. Although the brand labels had been removed, three people reported after viewing the photos that they had purchased similar clothing at a Long Island store, which has since closed. On September 22nd, 1999, the body of Princess Doe was exhumed from the Cedar Ridge Cemetery in Blairstown so that DNA samples could be obtained.

The body was reburied in the same location. After a 2012 photo composite of the victim was released, it generated new leads as it resembled several missing girls from across the country. One theory suggested that Princess Doe may have been a runaway and could have been someone using false names while working at a hotel in Ocean City, Maryland.

In 2012, a sample of her hair and a tooth were examined through isotope analysis and suggested that the victim was most likely born in the United States and had spent at least 7 to 10 months in the Midwestern or Northeastern United States. The tooth sample indicated she could be from Arizona. It is also believed that the girl had spent a considerable time on Long Island, New York.

 Lieutenant Chron’s, now retired, gave Princess Doe her name early in the investigation and also managed to get the case covered extensively in the media. The case served as the catalyst for recording unidentified crime victims in the NCIC database at the national level. Princess Doe became the first such case entered by the FBI director after extensive print media coverage in 1982.

Lieutenant Cronns, who was the original lead investigator from the Blairstown Police Department, was approached by HBO regarding the Princess Doe case and asked whether the channel could document the case in an upcoming documentary entitled Missing. Cronns agreed and the segment was filmed over several weeks.

 Cronns was shown pursuing leads as they came in. The documentary included actual footage of the recovery of Princess Doe’s body along with footage shot by HBO of Princess Doe’s 1983 funeral. The case was also highlighted on America’s Most Wanted in 2012 in hopes of generating new information about the case. The same year, the most recent reconstruction was broadcast on CNN.

 On July 15th, 2012, a memorial service was held for the 30th anniversary of Princess Doe being discovered at the top of the ravine where her remains were found. Over 100 citizens attended along with several reporters and cameras. The victim’s clothing, as well as her photo reconstructions, were displayed for public viewing.

On October 12th, 2014, Princess Doe was honored at a missing persons rally in the region. In the years between the initial discovery of the body and the final identification, several theories emerged. The first was that Princess Doe was actually Diane Dye, a young girl missing from California, which has now been definitively disproved.

 Secondly, the killer of Princess Doe was already behind bars for another homicide. A man called John Reese was briefly suspected as he was convicted of killing another woman in nearby Belvidere, New Jersey, but there was no solid evidence of a connection with Princess Doe. The third theory was that Princess Doe was either a runaway known to work in the Ocean City, Maryland area, or a prostitute who worked at the local truck stop.

The information supporting these two possibilities was highly inconclusive. Nobody from the local area came forward to identify Princess Doe on or off the record. It seems unlikely that not a single person would come forward if she was recognized in the area. The fourth and disturbing theory was that Princess Doe was killed by a Blairstown police officer, and that is why the case was never resolved.

 But this claim is completely unsubstantiated. There are retired local law enforcement officers who still follow and contribute to the case even after 40 years. The fifth theory was that Princess Doe was a victim of a serial killer known to operate in the area, such as John Cleese, Henry Lee Lucas, or Joel Rifkin.

Though local law enforcement was aware of these claims, none were found to be credible. A sixth theory suggested that Princess Doe was an out-of-state teenager who worked at an area camp. Again, this was never proven. And now we come to the seventh theory, that Princess Doe was murdered by a man named Arthur Kinlaw.

For many years, this was the most prominent theory. Many of the facts aligned with the case, and this theory was explored on the America’s Most Wanted website. Several New York Newsday articles referenced this theory, published in 1999 and 2000. Mr. Kinlaw was already imprisoned for other crimes, but since Princess Doe’s body had not been identified, his involvement in her murder could not be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.

Princess Doe’s body was re-exhumed in November 2020 using a grant, and she underwent DNA extraction for genetic genealogy. In May 2021, investigators were notified by the NCMEC, or National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, who were working with Astrea Forensics about obtaining DNA markers from degraded samples of Princess Doe’s body.

On June 18th, 2021, investigators received word that Astrea Forensics agreed to extract DNA and construct a DNA profile. On February 10th, 2022, Astrea Forensics relayed to investigators that the creation of the DNA data file was successful. The results were sent to the NCMEC’s consulting genealogist from Innovative Forensic Investigations.

The managing officer was Jennifer Moore, who agreed to perform unlimited genealogy testing free of charge. On February 22nd, 2022, Innovative Forensics announced to investigators that they had found a candidate for Princess Doe. Investigators traveled to West Babylon, New York, where they met Robert Olenik, Jr., Princess Doe’s brother.

They also collected a DNA sample from Princess Doe’s sister, which MitoTech Technology used to construct a mitochondrial DNA profile. The Union County Prosecutor’s Office Forensic Laboratory, assisted by creating an STR DNA profile through the victim’s sister’s DNA sample. MitoTech Technology sent their results to the Union County Prosecutor’s Office Forensic Laboratory, which then forwarded both the mitochondrial DNA and STR DNA profiles to the University of North Texas Center for Human Identification.

On April 29th, 2022, the center identified Princess Doe as Dawn Olenik. Her identity was formally announced on July 15th, 2022, the 40th anniversary of her discovery. Robert Olenik, Jr., said that Olenik left their home at her mother’s request and was never seen or heard from again. Way back in 1999, evidence came to light that Arthur and Donna Kinlaw may have been connected to Princess Doe’s murder.

Donna was arrested in California for attempting to commit welfare fraud using the name Eliana, which was traced to a Long Island native. When police questioned her, she provided details about the murder of a woman, and her testimony put the Kinlaws behind bars. Donna revealed details about two murders Arthur had committed involving two other female victims who remain unidentified today.

After Arthur faced a death sentence, Donna told authorities that Kinlaw had killed another woman, a sex worker, earlier in 1982. She told police that she was with Arthur in the cemetery and witnessed him carry out the murder. Another account states that Donna Kinlaw said that in July 1982, her husband brought home a teenage girl, left the house, and returned without her.

 He later apparently disposed of his clothing and cleaned his vehicle. Afterward, he threatened his wife claiming that if she did not keep going to work, he would end her life as he had done to the girl he brought home. However, a lack of cooperation meant that Arthur Kinlaw was not charged. Lieutenant Steven Spears, who worked on the case as a member of the Warren County Prosecutor’s Office, from which he is now retired, stated Kinlaw claimed responsibility for her death, but I have no physical evidence to confirm that.

And without the identity of Princess Doe, I have no way of connecting the dots, so to speak, placing her somewhere he could have been or would have been at the same time. Spears also noted that he doubted the confession because the Kinlaws could not provide a name for Princess Doe, even though they claimed to have spent time with her.

Even though he questioned the reliability of their statements, Spears does not believe the victim was originally from Long Island, New York. However, Donna Kinlaw was interviewed by a forensic artist who created a sketch of the girl she claimed to have encountered, which does resemble the most recent composite.

 Arthur Kinlaw remained incarcerated for two counts of second-degree murder. Following the 2022 identification of Princess Doe as Dawn Olanick, Arthur Kinlaw was reconsidered as a suspect and later charged with Olanick’s murder. Dawn Olanick was born on August 5th, 1964. She had been a junior at Connetquot High School in Bohemia, New York, where she had lived with her mother and sister.

Authorities noted that she soon moved out of the family home. According to her brother, she was asked to leave by her mom. She ended up losing her life in a cemetery, leaving no clue as to her real identity. But for more than 20 years, the name of her suspected killer was no secret. In 1999, the wife of Arthur Kinlaw, the convicted pimp who today is serving time for the murder of several other Long Island women, connected her husband not only to those deaths, but to the brutal killing of the girl in the Blairstown

cemetery. In an interview with Newsday at the time, Donna Kinlaw described how her husband, in the summer of 1982, brought a girl of about 18 years old back to their Central Islip home. She told the newspaper, as well as police, that her husband left with the woman, but returned home alone, appearing shaken.

About 2 weeks later, according to Newsday, she read that police in Belvidere, New Jersey, had found the body of a dead girl who matched the description of the girl who had been at their house that night. He kept asking, “What does it say? What does it say? Does it say who the person was who got killed?” she said, as her husband asked while she read the story aloud to him.

 Donna Kinlaw told Newsday that she recalled her husband referring to the dead girl as Princess Jane Doe. Not long afterward, investigators exhumed her body to recover the murder victim’s femur bone in hopes of using her DNA to establish her identity. In fact, investigators acknowledge that Arthur Kinlaw confessed to the New Jersey murder in written statements dating back to 2005.

But it was not until April of this year that Dawn Olenick was positively identified. Arthur Kinlaw, now 68, is currently imprisoned in Sullivan County, New York on two other first-degree murder convictions from 2000. Among them was a teenager he knew only as Linda, killed in April 1984 in the Bronx. Newsday reported, “I strangled her with my hand,” said Kinlaw.

“She was hit about the head by me with a bat.” Arthur Kinlaw has now been charged with one count of homicide as the result of the subsequent investigation, witness statements, and his confession of Olenick’s murder. It is believed that after Dawn Olenick refused his demands to enter prostitution, he drove her to New Jersey.

They both ended up in Blairstown, where Kinlaw murdered her in the Cedar Ridge Cemetery. Neither Olenick nor Kinlaw had any connection to the town. Kinlaw remains imprisoned at the Sullivan Correctional Facility in Fallsburg, New York. Investigators are now working to piece together Dawn Olenick’s movements in the time leading up to her death.

The DNA Doe Project, also known as DNA Doe Project Incorporated or DDP, is an American nonprofit volunteer organization formed to identify unidentified deceased persons, commonly referred to as John or Jane Does, by using forensic genealogy. Their volunteers identify victims of automobile accidents, homicides, and unusual circumstances, such as persons who died by suicide under an alias.

 The The was founded in 2017 by Colleen Fitzpatrick and Margaret Press. Solving the mystery of Princess Doe has been a remarkable success for genealogical DNA testing of exactly this kind. Sometimes the smallest things have the biggest impact. And in the case of Princess Doe, that was precisely what happened. A molar root weighing just 200 mg would hold the answers that had escaped investigators for nearly 40 years.

 With the help of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, Princess Doe’s molar and eyelash were submitted to Astria Forensics in 2021 for possible DNA extraction. “What makes Astria so special is that they can extract DNA from samples that are degraded or would otherwise provide no value,” said Carol Schweizer, a forensic supervisor at NCMEC.

 “We knew that if anyone could get the information that was needed, Astria could, and they did.” Kelly Kincaid, CEO of Astria Forensics, told NCMEC that they were fortunate to find that the DNA was exceptionally well preserved and allowed for millions of pieces of information to be gathered to complete the DNA profile.

“This single DNA extract contained hundreds of millions of unique human DNA fragments,” said Kelly. “With these sequencing data, we were able to reconstruct her whole genome single nucleotide polymorphisms or SNP profile. This resulted in Astria being able to deliver genotype files to NCMEC and the Warren County Prosecutor’s Office that could then be used to complete Princess Doe’s genealogy.

 This technology that would not have been possible 40 years ago was exactly the breakthrough investigators had been hoping for to establish Princess Doe’s identity. Once Astria completed the sequencing, Innovative Forensic Investigations or IFI began working on investigative genetic genealogy techniques to construct a family tree that would ultimately reveal the true identity of Princess Doe, or who we now know as Dawn O’Lennick.

 “This work was only possible because of the joint effort of each agency,” said Jennifer Moore, CEO of FI. “Our team brings a diverse set of skills that allows us to help find answers to cases.” Echoing that sentiment at today’s press conference, Prosecutor Pfeiffer emphasized that science and technology made the impossible possible in this case.

Dawn’s case was deeply personal for the investigators involved, and their drive for answers and justice never faded. Dawn’s family expressed sincere gratitude to everyone who worked to find answers in Dawn’s case. “This is a very big deal for my family,” said Dawn’s cousin. “I’d like to thank Blairstown for treating my cousin like she was one of their own. It touches our family deeply.

My cousin is always in my heart,” he said, while tapping the photo of Dawn on pinned to his chest. “Blairstown gave it everything they had and never gave up. We are truly grateful for that. Since Princess Doe was the first unidentified person’s case to be entered into NCIC, the National Crime Information Center, by FBI Director William Webster on June 30th, 1983.

This was a historic milestone for missing and unidentified persons that has continued to play a vital role in investigations since. The entry in NCIC remained active and current until today, when she will finally be removed. The persistence of law enforcement never stopped, and they continued to pour resources and new technology into resolving this case.

It is thanks to the partnership between police authorities and genealogical DNA testing experts that Princess Doe was publicly identified on the 40th anniversary of the discovery of her body as Dawn O’Lennick. So, what do you guys think about this 40-year-old case finally getting resolved? Do you still have any theories about Princess Doe? Let us know in the comment section and like, share, and subscribe for more episodes of Cold Cases going live right here on Mysterious Seven.

Stay safe, friends. Until next time.