(USNewsBreak.com) – Two fishermen were out on Lake Barkley in Lyon County, Kentucky, in May of 1999 when they made a gruesome discovery: a dead body. Someone had wrapped It in chains and anchored it using a hydraulic jack. At the time, police couldn’t identify the victim. Now, authorities have determined who he was, and it turns out he was on the lam from the FBI at the time of his death.
In a statement on its website, the Kentucky State Police revealed that they had positively identified a deceased male found nearly 25 years ago. The law enforcement agency paired with Othram, a forensic lab, to get answers. Through advanced genealogy DNA testing, the lab ID’d the man as Roger Dale Parham. Parham disappeared after going on the run in March 1999. He failed to show up in court in Arkansas, where he resided. He was 52 at the time.
Body discovered in Kentucky lake identified 24 years later as FBI fugitive. https://t.co/WnsysQX1IF
— ABC News (@ABC) December 19, 2023
More information came to light about the deceased as police investigated his identity. Records show the FBI wanted him. In November of 1998, authorities had arrested and charged him with rape. He obtained a release on bond but failed to appear at his next court date. Police suspected he fled the area to avoid prosecution. The fishermen found his body approximately two months later.
Kentucky State Police said it’s unclear how he died, but due to the state in which authorities recovered his body, they believe someone murdered him and are investigating it as a homicide. They are asking anyone with information to call Post 1-Mayfield at (270) 856-3721. You can also submit tips online at www.kentuckystatepolice.ky.gov/tip.
This incident represents just one of many cases involving unidentified remains that emerging technology has helped solve over the past few years. The advance is making breakthroughs in cold cases and police backlogs possible, bringing closure to families and investigators.
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