The Courier-Journal (Louisville)
43-year-old cold case is solved
KY police use bone DNA tests to ID Ohio man
Kentucky State Police investigators have identified a man whose bones were found on the banks of the Ohio River on two separate occasions more than 40 years ago.
DNA tests conducted in 2023 helped investigators identify the man as Kenneth Linville, an Ohio native who was around 40 years old at the time of his death. The bones were found in Switzerland County, Indiana in September 1980 and in Carroll County, Kentucky in November 1980, according to a release issued Saturday from Project Justice, a nonprofit based in Las Vegas.
A private forensic science company based in Texas used DNA from bones submitted in 2023 by the Kentucky State Police to “build a comprehensive DNA profile for the man,” according to a release from the company. The DNA profile helped scientists develop “new investigative leads that were returned to police.” Previous DNA testing conducted in 2005 determined that the bones found in Kentucky and Indiana were from the same person.
According to the Texas forensics company, investigators believe Linville had been a patient at a psychiatric hospital and was discharged on Aug. 22, 1980. The cause and manner of his death remain under investigation.
Project Justice, the organization that provided funding for the DNA tests conducted in Texas, said its mission is to help law enforcement agencies fund DNA testing for unsolved death investigations. The identification of Linville was the 19th cold case solved with Project Justice’s support.
“By utilizing new innovative solutions, we can make a meaningful impact for our communities and the greater good,” Project Justice founder Justin Woo said in a statement.