HIGHLAND PARK (WWJ) – A Highland Park teen who was found dead in an alley nearly three decades ago has finally been identified.
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) announced Thursday the Highland Park Jane Doe has finally been identified as Mindy Clevidence.
The long-standing mystery was solved after years of collaborative work by the NCMEC, Highland Park Police Department and Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office.
Clevidence’s body was found in a Highland Park alleyway in 1996, but she remained unidentified for 27 years. Her death was deemed a homicide, but no suspect has been identified. The cold case remains under investigation.
Her remains were exhumed in October of 2015 so officials could conduct new forensic tests and bring the case up to current investigative standards. No DNA matches were found.
In May of 2023, still with no identification, the NCMEC worked with law enforcement and got the case to Intermountain Forensics, who were successful in developing a reliable DNA data file, which was submitted to genealogists with Innovative Forensic Investigations. IFI then uploaded the profile into ancestry databases and completed the research.
This past summer a tip developed through forensic genetic genealogy led to Mindy’s identification.
“We value our ongoing collaborative efforts with NCMEC and vowed from the moment we took on the case, to give this young lady a chance to be given her name,” said Jennifer Moore, CEO of Innovative Forensics. “Our thoughts and prayers are with her family as they now face this new phase in their lives.”
Highland Park Police Chief James McMahon said the identification is “an early step in the process” of solving Clevidence’s murder.
“It’s been more than 27 years since her murder, but I believe someone has information that could lead to the arrest of her killer. We ask if you have any information regarding Mindy's case please contact The Highland Park Police Department,” he said.
"We are grateful for all the efforts made by the Highland Police Department and NCMEC in helping us get one step closer in finding out what happened to Mindy and ultimately finding justice for her,” her family said in a statement released through the NCMEC. “We ask for our privacy as we navigate through this difficult time. We ask that anyone who has information regarding Mindy’s death to please contact authorities."
Clevidence was found between Cortland and Richton Streets in Highland Park. She was wearing a white T-shirt with yellow and black smiley faces on it, a white skirt, white socks, white gym shoes and a teddy bear watch.
Officials are asking anyone who may know something about Clevidence’s murder or her whereabouts leading up to her murder in 1996 to call the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office (Michigan) at 313-318-8516 or the NCMEC at 1-800-THE-LOST.