OWEN COUNTY, Ind. — Deanna Smith first went missing in 1999; her body wasn’t found until 2003, but no one knew it was her until over 20 years later.
According to the Indiana State Police, various agencies came together to identify Smith, an Indianapolis native, after her body was found in Owen County on South Franklin Road in 2003.
One of those agencies is Othram, a private DNA lab that assisted Owen County and ISP with identifying Smith.
“People should know that it doesn’t matter how old a case is, or whether it was hopeless in the past, there is technology here today that works,” said Kristen Mittelman, chief development officer at Othram. “This is the next big step in this homicide investigation, and hopefully investigators can now get justice for this woman and her family.”
Timeline
According to Othram, a man was preparing to build a home near a wooded ravine off Franklin Road in Owen County when he discovered a female body…