Watch CBS News

New Clues About 1800s Baby Girl Unearthed Under San Francisco Home

SAN FRANCISCO (KPIX 5) -- After a home renovation in San Francisco unearthed the casket of a young girl, researchers have learned more about her identity.

Researchers say there are indications that more bodies may be buried in the neighborhood as well.

The mystery of the 2-year-old girl found in a casket buried under a San Francisco home is nearly solved.

Researcher Alex Snyder said is trying to answer a question that surfaced back in May -- when a San Francisco home renovation near Rossi Park unearthed the casket of an unidentified young girl.

Who was this girl whose coffin was found about 140 years after she was buried?

Related: Mystery Girl In Coffin Found Under SF Home Gets A Proper Second Burial

Snyder said she was "buried sometime in the 1870s, 80s, 90s, somewhere in that time frame."

The girl was given the name Miranda Eve, and re-buried during a ceremony in Colma.

But since May, a research team has been closing in on the girl's real identity, by piecing together a map of Odd Fellows cemetery, which was emptied and built-over in the 1930s.

Snyder said, "From there it was just a matter of combing through burial records and undertaker records."

And sure enough, they may have found a family connection in one of those burial plots.

Snyder said, "We've identified a really strong candidate, we're just waiting on DNA results."

The only problem is that what investigators are finding in the ground doesn't always correspond with family records or burial records kept by the cemetery.

"The records for the cemetery weren't that great, and the people who were removing the bodies didn't have good information to work with," Snyder said.

And that raises an interesting possibility. If the burial records were poor, and the people moving the bodies missed at least one casket, just how many more people are still resting beneath this San Francisco neighborhood.

Snyder said, "I think a lot of people were left behind, and I think as times goes on a lot more bodies will turn up."

That remains to be seen, but as for uncovering the real identity of this long-forgotten 2-year-old, that answer may come within days.

Snyder said, "Yeah, we've got a strong candidate and I suspect we will know fairly soon whether or not the candidate we have identified is Miranda Eve."

The family that may be linked to Miranda Eve has not been identified.

We'll let you know when the DNA results are in.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.