UPDATE (June 17, 2026):
FORT WAYNE, Ind. (ADAMS) – The Allen County Coroner’s Office has identified a woman whose remains were found in Spy Run Creek. On March 14, a fisherman discovered a skull, and further investigation revealed more bones. Officials said the remains were of someone who died less than a year before that.
The woman was identified as Sarah Elisabeth Martin, 37, from Fort Wayne.
The official cause of her death is still being determined.
The Allen County Coroner’s Office released the following:
The skeletal remains discovered on March 14, 2026, in Spy Run Creek near 5110 Value Drive, Fort Wayne, Indiana, have been positively identified. The Indiana State Police Laboratory completed deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) analysis of the remains and conducted a search of the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS). The examination resulted in a positive identification of the decedent as Sarah Elisabeth Martin, a 37-year-old White female from Fort Wayne, Indiana.
Sarah Elisabeth Martin’s autopsy has been completed, and the Cause of Death is Undetermined, and the Manner of Death is Undetermined.
The Allen County Coroner’s Office would like to recognize and thank the following agencies for their assistance and cooperation throughout this investigation:
City of Fort Wayne Water & Street Department
City of Fort Wayne Engineers
Fort Wayne Police Department Uniform Division, Detective Bureau, Crime Scene Unit and Aerial Support Unit
Indiana Department of Natural Resources
UPDATE (May 29, 2026):
FORT WAYNE, Ind. (ADAMS) – The Allen County Coroner’s Office has released more information about human remains found in Spy Run Creek in March.
Who they actually were is still a mystery, but the coroner says that the remains were those of a white woman of European descent. Adding that she was in her late 30s or 40s and was of less than average height, 5′ tall.
On Thursday, the coroner’s office said the remains have been found to be those of a
The coroner said on Thursday that she likely died less than one year before her remains were found.
The coroner’s office says a DNA sample has been taken and given to investigators with the Indiana State Police to examine. The case remains under investigation.
The Allen County Coroner’s Office released the following:
The University of Indianapolis Human Identification Center has completed the examination and the Biological Profile for the skeletal remains found in Spy Run Creek, 5110 Value Creek Drive, Fort Wayne, Indiana, on March 14th of 2026.
The skeletal remains have been found to be a Female, White, of European Dissent, in her late 30s’ or 40s’ and of less than average height of 5′. It is likely that the individual died less than one year prior to discovery. No trauma was observed and the Cause and Manner of death is still under investigation.
A DNA sample has been taken and given to the Indiana State Police for DNA examination.
This incident remains under investigation by the Fort Wayne Police Department and the Allen County Coroner’s Office.
UPDATE (March 27, 2026):
FORT WAYNE, Ind. (ADAMS) – More remains have been found near where a skull and other human bones were found in Spy Run Creek in Fort Wayne. A fisherman found the skull on an abandoned river dam in the creek near Costco, and about a third of the body’s bones were recovered on March 14th.
The Allen County Coroner’s Office says crews have continued to search the area since then. The body had been in the creek since late summer or early fall last year.
Read more HERE
ORIGINAL STORY:
FORT WAYNE, Ind. (ADAMS) – The Allen County Coroner’s Office says skeletal remains were discovered this weekend in Spy Run Creek in Fort Wayne. The body has not been identified and was found Saturday afternoon near the Costco Wholesale parking lot.
Police have not said how long the remains may have been in the creek. Neither they nor the coroner’s office has confirmed whether the bones are human or not.
Read more HERE
The Allen County Coroner’s Department released the following on Monday:
On March 14, 2026, at 14:15, the Allen County Coroner’s Office was notified in reference to unidentified skeletal remains that were found in Spy Run Creek at 5110 Value Drive, Fort Wayne, Allen County, Indiana.
The incident remains under investigation by the Fort Wayne Police Department, the Allen County Prosecutor’s Office and the Allen County Coroner’s Office.
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