After nearly six decades, the Wake County Sheriff’s Office has identified the victim of a 1968 homicide. The case had remained unsolved for 57 years. The identification was made possible by local law enforcement, state agencies, and new forensic genealogy technology.
The case began on April 28, 1968. Deputies found a woman’s burned body in a field near Lake Wheeler Road and Ten Ten Road in southern Wake County, North Carolina. The victim was described as a white female, about 35 years old. Despite investigations by the Wake County Sheriff’s Office and the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (SBI), her identity was not determined for decades.
In 2004, investigators considered Robert Reagan, a local resident, as a possible suspect. Reagan had died in the 1990s, so no arrest was made. Investigators then focused on identifying the victim. They followed leads and conducted several rounds of DNA testing, but did not succeed…