Justice in the Genes
In May 1988, a Jane Doe was found in Owen County, just off Kentucky Highway 330. Though lack of technology and time could have allowed the unidentified victim’s case to grow cold, determination and advancements in forensics have surged, giving her a name more than three decades after her death—Linda Bennett.
Linda’s Story
On that day in 1988, an unsuspecting Joy Kelly and her husband spotted Bennett’s body in tall grass off the side of the road, according to a story on WHAS 11. Kentucky State Police (KSP) Detective Paul Johnson said the couple thought a goat from a nearby farm had gotten out and was hit when they decided to investigate, but once they got closer, they discovered the victim was human.
Kelly told WHAS11 that she remembers the victim “wearing nothing but men’s socks, which were pulled up perfectly. Brown socks just perfectly done.”
It had been a warm spring; nature had taken its course on the female victim’s remains and scavenging animals resulted in a missing arm. According to Det. Johnson, the body had been there for about a week, and there were few identifying traits save a homemade tattoo on the remaining arm.
Johnson added that discarded clothing was located just down the road and retained, but its connection to Bennett has yet to be established. Additionally, dental records could not be consulted as the victim had neither teeth nor dentures, and only one fingerprint could be obtained due to the state of the body.
The medical examiner gave KSP an age range for their Jane Doe—between 25 to 40 years old. She was small in stature, approximately 5’4.” She had given birth and, at some point, received a head trauma unrelated to her cause of death: strangulation.
Detectives tried to formulate a DNA profile from hair found at the crime scene and still within the coroner’s possession, but it was too degraded to obtain a usable sample, said Johnson.
While the case continued to be worked through the decades, changing hands between detectives as people retired or left the agency, there were no witnesses to the crime and more questions than answers. That is until Johnson was contacted by Othram, a laboratory in The Woodlands, Texas, stating that technological advances they specialized in—forensic genealogy—might be the ticket toward identifying the Kentucky Jane Doe.
Forensic Genealogy—How it Works
Forensic genealogy is different from the type of DNA analysis that is done at KSP’s lab, said DNA Database Supervisor Regina Wells from KSP’s Frankfort lab.
She explained that sequencing allows an entire DNA strand of an individual to be read giving answers to ancestry, susceptibility to diseases and more. That DNA, which can be from unidentified remains like in Bennett’s case or from evidence, can also be uploaded to public databases, which can be searched for individuals with a large amount of DNA in common with that profile. The amount of DNA matches indicates how closely the parties are related. It could be as close as a parent, child or sibling. However, more often than not, Wells said second or third cousins are often found first.
The state lab’s piece in the puzzle is identifying cases that benefit from forensic genealogy. Wells said she has worked with other labs on several sets of unidentified remains. The other labs, she explained, will do the analysis. Typically, a genealogist who works for the lab or other organizations, such as Othram or the DNA Doe Project, will take the information and put it into databases and start building a family tree.
More attention to the usefulness of forensic genealogy in crime solving came after the technology helped identify Joseph DeAngelo, who was arrested in April 2018, as the so-called “Golden State Killer,” according to a 2020 Forbes article.
“It’s just like any other new tech,” said Wells. “You have officers who don’t want to retire until they have (a case) solved. Every time a new technology comes out, the first thing they do is call the lab and ask if it can be used on their case. This is great because then, those cases aren’t forgotten.”
She explained that most companies or organizations that provide these services are private or nonprofit and the costs are not cheap. Funding often comes in the form of grants or crowdfunding. Sometimes, composite photos of victims or descriptions, along with any known facts about their stories, will be placed on these organization’s websites and people can donate money for the analysis.
Currently, only two databases in the United States will allow access to law enforcement—GEDmatch and Family Tree. These companies use data from others, such as Ancestry or 23andMe, that allow users to download their testing files. Users can then sign up for GEDmatch or Family Tree. According to Wells, users are automatically opted into the search on Family Tree and automatically opted out in GEDmatch. These settings can then be changed to the user’s choice.
Cell Trails Lead to Answers
Johnson sent news of the opportunity from Othram up his chain of command. It was approved and funding was obtained from the Sexual Assault Kit Initiative through the Kentucky Attorney General’s Office to proceed with the costly but effective endeavor.
A unique DNA profile was developed and checked against civilian genealogical databases that Othram can access, but law enforcement cannot, Johnson explained.
Matches were made to relatives of the victim. Family members were notified and provided a list of names who were descendants of the Jane Doe—eventually leading to the victim’s son. He traveled from Ohio to Kentucky and submitted a buccal swab for DNA comparison; confirmation was made in 2022. It was a match. The victim was no longer Jane Doe, but Linda Bennett.
She had been reported missing by her parents, who lived in Florida then and were concerned after not hearing from their daughter. Sadly, that report to authorities came a month after her body was found, according to a CBS story ran in December 2022.
With a DNA profile in place, Johnson said KSP is returning to the aforementioned clothing to have it tested. If they can find the victim’s DNA on the items, it will be linked to the crime scene and searched for foreign genetic material belonging to a potential suspect. That DNA would then be searched against a criminal database.
“It’s been a long process and a lot of waiting, but I don’t think we would be at the point we are now or that the family would have the closure that they do, had it not been for the ability to search that civilian genealogical database against the victim’s profile,” said Johnson. “After 30 years, especially her son, and the rest of her family, have a definitive answer instead of wondering if she is still around—alive or dead. If I were in that situation, just having an answer would be much better than not knowing.”
The detective, who has been on Bennett’s case since 2019, said identifying her was just one hurdle; KSP still has to find the person responsible for what happened to her.
“We want to get to the finish line on this case and hold that person accountable,” he added.
Take the Chance and Never Give Up
When Johnson was assigned Bennett’s case in 2019, he said his sole focus was identifying the victim.
“I looked at it like eating an apple one bite at a time. If we could just progress in one area, it would lead us to the next spot,” he said, noting the importance of flexibility. “If we can’t get from point A to point B, what is another route we can take so that the case doesn’t sit stagnant,” Johnson said that time continues to be critical, even for an older case, as information can be lost as people with knowledge become ill, move or pass away. If one’s agency has the opportunity to use technology, even if it seems like a long shot, don’t write it off.
While he doesn’t know exactly what made Othram feel like Bennett’s case was a candidate for their lab, he said KSP’s website, which features numerous cold cases the agency is currently working, helps keep victims and their stories on the public’s mind—which can be important for law enforcement seeking a community’s help or information.
For detectives who might be taking over a case that someone else has worked on, Johnson said to read the case and list all the things that should have been but were not looked at. Everyone is human; sometimes, fresh eyes can give a different perspective. Often, Johnson said he reads his comrades’ cases and asks them to review his so they can bounce ideas off each other and find angles that might have been missed.
Wells said they should contact the state laboratory if an agency wants to see if their case is a good candidate for forensic genealogy. An analyst will look at the case to see if it is eligible based on the amount and quality of the DNA. If the DNA is viable, the state lab can contact a vendor laboratory to see if it can be processed for forensic genealogy.
