403 Wapping Street Frankfort, Kentucky 40601 Robert F. Stephens, Secretary

010/27/00

RICHMOND – In an effort to identify several pending cases, the Kentucky Medical Examiner’s Office and Eastern Kentucky University today launched a website featuring information on unidentified human remains cases.

The website -- www.unidentifiedremains.net – will feature six of the most recent cases being investigated by the state Medical Examiner’s Office, Kentucky State Police and local law enforcement agencies, said Forensic Anthropologist Dr. Emily Craig.

"We designed this website in hopes of collecting new information on cases where leads to victim identification have been exhausted," Dr. Craig said. "EKU has made the site user-friendly, which will allow people nationwide to view our unidentified remains cases from their home or business. We are confident that this site will be a key component in helping us solve these cases."

A case involving unidentified human remains means that the medical examiner’s office cannot properly identify the individual due to the decomposition of the body. In such cases, the agency relies on the public’s help in recognizing certain aspects of each case – personal items or body markings belonging to the victim.

Additionally, Dr. Craig plays a key role in the cases by creating, when possible, a facial reconstruction on the skull of a victim.

"It is important to note that the photo of the facial reconstruction is not a portrait of the victim," Dr. Craig said. "It is an approximation based on generalized facial features and skeletal anatomy. We are hoping someone recognizes this individual or believes the facial reconstruction resembles someone who has been missing for several months."

- more -

Page 2

Facial reconstruction photographs are included with the general information of each case listed on the website.

The medical examiner’s office currently has 45 unidentified human remains cases dating back to 1973 and plans to eventually have every case on the website.

The cases currently on the website include:

1. Fayette County (July 1, 2000): The skeletal remains of this individual were found in Lexington, Kentucky near the intersection of Winchester Road (hwy 60) and New Circle Road.
2. Greenup County (July 7, 1999): This individual died of a gunshot wound to the head. His nude body was found by a blackberry picker near an all-terrain vehicle trail on Graysbranch Road, off the Double A Highway at Lloyd, Kentucky.
3. Lyon County (May 6, 1999): The body of this individual was found floating in Lake Barkley. His body was wrapped in heavy tire chains that were anchored by an eight-ton hydraulic jack. This crime likely occurred during the last part of 1998 or the first part of 1999, due to the vast decomposition of the body.
4. Henry County (Feb. 21, 1999): This individual died as a result of multiple gunshot wounds and blunt force trauma to the head. A hunter found his body in a creek bed next to a railroad on an abandoned farm. It is estimated that death occurred in the late summer or autumn of 1998.
5. Pendleton County (July 1996): Body was found hanging over a stream with a wire tied from a tree and around the neck of the victim. Victim is estimated to have died sometime in the previous 4 months.
6. Pulaski County (July, 2, 1995): The body of this homicide victim was discovered in a wooded area near Nancy, Kentucky. Her throat had been slashed and she had sustained a broken rib at the time of her death. Skeletal remains suggested she had died 10 to 60 months prior to her discovery.

The Justice and Safety Center at EKU is the department that will host the website and allow its students to maintain the site by working with the state medical examiner’s office on updating each case.