The Nassau County Police Department has identified a 42-year-old cold homicide case victim found in Freeport as Susan Mann, 15, of Hollis, Queens, using up-to-date DNA technology, they reported.
Mann’s body was found by police in 1982 in a trash container at Cantor Glass Works, located at 421 North Main St. in Freeport, police said. The body was listed as “Jane Doe” on Nov. 4, 1982.
Mann was reported missing in May of 1980. Police announced Mann’s identification on Wednesday, Oct. 1.
“Susan left her house that day on a bicycle, looking to locate her sister’s pocketbook that she had borrowed,” said Stephen Fitzpatrick, commanding officer of the Nassau County Police Department’s homicide squad at a press conference. He said the bicycle has yet to be recovered.
Two and a half years later, a body was recovered when a Cantor Glass Works employee, who had gone to lock the dumpster at night, discovered it, Fitzpatrick said.
Fitzpatrick said there were signs that the cause of death was murder, but did not provide specific details. He said the police investigation indicates that Mann’s body was initially buried, but was moved to the dumpster later on.
Fitzpatrick said her body was buried as a “Jane Doe” in 1982, but was exhumed in 2023 to undergo DNA testing. He said the DNA results were submitted to the FBI’s New York Investigative Genealogy program, and that this March, her DNA was matched to that of her family members.
Fitzpatrick said the body was exhumed four decades after the burial due to technology not available during the initial investigation. He said the police department relies on partnerships with the district attorney’s office and the FBI to use new technological advancements in investigations.
“This is just another positive identification utilizing the advances in DNA technology,” he said.
Police released an image of what she was wearing the day of her disappearance — a striped top and jeans, as well as a necklace with a heart pendant and the initial “K” inside. Fitzpatrick said the pendant was a gift from her grandmother, although police do not know the significance of the “K.” He said she was approximately 5’1″ and 120 pounds.
Fitzpatrick said the police are not aware of any additional missing teenage girls in the area at that time.
The investigation is ongoing.
“We’ve interviewed many, many people, but it’s come time now that we’d like to reach out to the public,” Fitzpatrick said.
Police request that anyone with information regarding the incident contact county crime stoppers at 1-800-244-TIPS or call 911. Fitzpatrick said Crime Stoppers is offering $25,000 to those who call with information about the case. All callers will remain anonymous.
