Pam Schaffer spent 21 years wondering what happened to her father after he vanished while living on the streets of Milwaukee in 2005. A new collaboration between Milwaukee police, the Wisconsin State Crime Lab and the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner has finally given her answers — and the team is already focused on its next case.
READ ALSO | Milwaukee police hope to identify body found in 1982
Using grant money, investigators examined two sets of old bones, including part of a skull recovered in 2008 from the Menomonee River.
"I thought about him every day. Like I would picture his face. I have this picture, it sits right next to my bed," Pam Schaffer said.
Dr. Jordan Karsten of the Wisconsin State Crime Lab said a distinctive physical feature on the skull led him to the identification.
Watch: Cold case team identifies man missing since 2005, turns attention to 1982 cold case
"While I was examining the cranium, I was able to see there was a small bump on the head," Karsten said.
"And I was able to find a person who'd gone missing in Milwaukee in 2005 who had the exact same bump on the head in the same position," Karsten said.
That person was Thomas Schaffer, Pam's father. His case had sat cold for decades before the fresh review connected the unidentified remains to him.
Ofc. Jamie Sromalla of the Milwaukee Police Department said delivering that news to the family was meaningful — but acknowledged the work is far from over.
"It felt really good to be able to provide closure to her. Unfortunately, that's not the case for some of the families we work with. I just want to assure everybody we work really hard together to try and bring closure to families we work for," Sromalla said.
Pam Schaffer said the team's work brought her peace she had long been searching for.
"My dad, for 20 years, I was like dreaming about him, all that stuff. Then these fine people came into my life and let me know what happened," Schaffer said.
The team is now turning its attention to another cold case.
Investigators have released a rendering based on the remains of an unidentified female found in 1982 in the Milwaukee River near downtown. Anyone with information is asked to contact Milwaukee police at (844) 232-6262.
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