More than 30 years after disappearance, KY police say they’ve identified homicide victim
More than 30 years after a woman went missing in Ohio, Kentucky State Police say they’ve identified her body using DNA lab technology.
The woman is Linda Bennett, state police said in an announcement made Monday. She was reported missing to authorities in Columbus, Ohio in June 1988.
One month prior to when she was reported missing, a couple in Owen County was walking alongside a road when they spotted her unresponsive. State police said detectives ruled her death a homicide but they weren’t able to identify her at the time.
“Investigators collected her fingerprints and compared them to others in databases and did multiple forensic facial reconstructions, but leads were exhausted,” state police said in a news release Monday. “The case has remained open throughout the years, in hope that someday the victim may be identified as technology progressed.”
Earlier this year, detectives received new information about the identity of Bennett, who had been identified only as “Jane Doe” until now. According to state police, investigators collected DNA from the victim’s son, which ended up being a match with Bennett.
“Advancements in technology and scientific testing have led to this new information. This could not have been done without the combined efforts of all those working on this case,” said Detective Paul Johnson from state police Post 5. “I express my heartfelt condolences to the family of Ms. Bennett and hope that knowing her whereabouts helps them to rest easier.”
State police worked with the state Attorney General’s Sexual Assault Kit Initiative Team, which provided funding and worked with the investigation.
“When you become part of a project such as SAKI, you do so hoping to get some measure of closure or justice for people who have been waiting for so long, in this case, decades,” said state police SAKI Det. Janet Barnett. “It also reinforces that no one person can make a case like this a success.
“It takes professionals from all disciplines and agencies working together to bring cases like this to fruition.”
State police said they partnered with Othram Inc. to make the identification. Othram provided recovery, enrichment and analysis of human DNA that was able to match Bennett, according to state police.
State police requests that anyone with information on a criminal case contact contact their local post or dial the agency’s tip line at 1-800-222-5555.
This story was originally published December 19, 2022 at 3:31 PM.
