Penny Doe Has a Name: Windy Buchanan

Windy Buchanan loved to draw and write. She drew outdoor scenes and wrote stories with lots of happy endings. She loved Disney movies, horses, and swimming. She dreamed of going to college and seeing the world.

She was born on Oct. 20, 1970, in the Louisville, Kentucky, area. She was the oldest of five children. Her family moved a lot when she was growing up.

Her family remembers her as fierce, kind, and loving. Her sister Tania said Windy tried to be the family peacekeeper. Tania said Windy stood up for her against a bully at the bus stop.

An aunt remembered blonde hair, a big smile, and “a laugh that could light up a room.” In a family statement read aloud by the Clarion County district attorney, the aunt said: “Windy was a gentle spirit with a soft, kind Southern voice.”

Windy also believed in luck. Tania said her sister thought finding a penny heads-up brought good luck.

Thirty-six years without a name

On July 22, 1990, children found Windy’s remains in Monroe Township, Clarion County, Pennsylvania. She was 19 when she went missing.

No one knew who she was. Because pennies were found in her pockets, she became known as “Penny Doe.”

For more than 30 years, investigators tried fingerprints, drawings, and tips. Nothing gave them her name.

How she got it back

Many people and groups worked to bring Windy home:

• Mercyhurst University cared for her remains. Forensic anthropologist Dr. Dennis Dirkmaat wrote the first report on her in 1991. Mercyhurst’s forensic team worked with state police to send evidence for testing.
• Clarion County Coroner Dan Shingledecker helped get a bone sample for DNA testing.
• Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) led the case. Trooper Randy Powell found federal grant funding for new testing. Trooper Jeffrey Baney, of the PSP Bureau of Criminal Investigation, built the family tree. He and then-Trooper Josh Bauer reached out to a woman who appeared to be Windy’s sister.
• Othram, a DNA lab in The Woodlands, Texas, pulled DNA from the evidence. It used its genome sequencing to build a DNA profile. That profile made a genetic genealogy search possible. That kind of search uses DNA shared with distant relatives to find a family.
• The federal Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) program paid for the work.
• Clarion County District Attorney Drew Welsh’s office reviewed the case file and talked with PSP about trying DNA again.

The sister gave a DNA sample. It matched.

On Monday, Aug. 24, 2026, Welsh shared the news at a press conference in Clarion. “Our first goal was to find out who Penny Doe was,” he said. “There’s no more Penny Doe. There’s Windy Buchanan.”

Tania was there. “My sister was fierce, and she was kind, and she was loving,” she said.

Her case is still open

Windy’s death was ruled a homicide. No arrest has been reported. Pennsylvania State Police are still investigating.

A $5,000 reward is being offered for information that solves the case. exploreClarion reported on Aug. 31 that state police are offering it; exploreJefferson reported on Aug. 27 that law enforcement officials are offering it. If you know anything, even something small, contact the Pennsylvania State Police:

Tip lines as published by exploreJefferson and exploreClarion; the Clarion Station number also appears on Othram’s case page.

• PSP Clarion Station: 814-226-1710
• PSP Tips (toll-free): 1-800-472-8477
• Online: P3 Tips, at p3tips.com

For 36 years, Windy waited for someone to say her name. Now we can. Her name is Windy Buchanan.

Sources

1. “After 36 Years, Penny Doe (1990) is Now Identified” (case page), DNASolves / Othram, Aug. 25, 2026. https://dnasolves.com/articles/penny-doe-pennsylvania-1990-windy-buchanan/
2. “Clarion County ‘Penny Doe’ Identified After More Than 36 Years,” exploreJefferson, Aug. 24, 2026. https://www.explorejeffersonpa.com/crime/2026/08/24/breaking-news-clarion-county-penny-doe-identified-after-more-than-36-years-179807/
3. “Fierce, Kind, and Loving: Family Remembers Windy Buchanan, Once Known Only as Penny Doe,” exploreJefferson, Aug. 25, 2026. https://www.explorejeffersonpa.com/local/2026/08/25/fierce-kind-and-loving-family-remembers-windy-buchanan-once-known-only-as-penny-doe-179896/
4. “How Genetic Genealogy Solved the 36-Year ‘Penny Doe’ Mystery,” exploreClarion, Aug. 27, 2026. https://www.exploreclarion.com/local/2026/08/27/how-genetic-genealogy-solved-the-36-year-penny-doe-mystery-872977/
5. “$5,000 Reward Offered for Information in Windy Buchanan Homicide Case,” exploreJefferson, Aug. 27, 2026. https://www.explorejeffersonpa.com/crime/2026/08/27/5000-reward-offered-for-information-in-windy-buchanan-homicide-case-180001/
6. “The Search for Penny Doe’s Identity Is Over. The Search for Windy Buchanan’s Killer Is Not,” exploreClarion, Aug. 31, 2026. https://www.exploreclarion.com/crime/2026/08/31/the-search-for-penny-does-identity-is-over-the-search-for-windy-buchanans-killer-is-not-873194/
7. “Penny Doe’s Identity to Be Released Monday, DA and State Police Say,” exploreClarion, Aug. 20, 2026. https://www.exploreclarion.com/crime/2026/08/20/penny-does-identity-to-be-released-monday-da-and-state-police-say-872491/

Facts current as of Oct. 18, 2026.