LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY — A 53-year-old Tennessee man has been arrested and charged in connection with a 1996 rape case in southern Indiana, after new DNA technology helped investigators identify him nearly three decades later, according to the Indiana State Police (ISP).
Sammy Wayne Riley, of La Follette, Tennessee, was taken into custody on Saturday, Nov. 1, by the Scott County Sheriff’s Department and charged with one felony count of rape. Officials confirmed Riley formerly lived in Scott County, Indiana, where the assault occurred.
Case Dates Back to 1996 Rape in Austin, Indiana
In 1996, a woman reported being sexually assaulted after leaving the former Austin Lounge in Austin, Indiana, with two men. The victim provided detectives with a name she believed belonged to her attacker, but DNA testing at the time failed to produce a match.
For decades, the case remained unsolved — until recent advances in genetic genealogy and DNA analysis reopened the investigation earlier this year.
DNA Technology Leads Investigators to Riley
According to ISP, a new forensic DNA match made in June 2025 connected the sample from the 1996 case to a close genetic relative of Riley. After identifying him as a suspect, detectives learned he had recently returned to Scott County for a family matter…