New lead surfaces in 1985 Palm Beach County cold case murder and officials seek public’s help
Back in December, Ace News Today reported on a cold case that was heating up in Palm Beach County where unidentified human remains discovered in 1985 had finally been identified thanks to advances in forensic technology. In 2023, those remains were identified as belonging to a Kentucky man named Terry Ketron. Officials ruled Terry’s death a homicide and have been looking for his murderer ever since.
Now, officials have another lead in the case and are seeking the public’s help. But first, some background on the case.
On December 27, 2023, the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office (PBSO) shared that almost 40 years ago, on January 12, 1985, children playing in a heavily wooded area near a canal bank in West Palm Beach, Florida, stumbled across some male human remains that stayed unidentified until just recently. Those remains were found in West Palm Beach near Greenacres in an area south of Forest Hill Boulevard, west of Jog Road and east of Pinehurst Road, according to CBS-12.
A group of children discovered the man’s skull in a wooded area near Okeeheelee Park on Jan. 12, 1985, one month before what would have been the man’s 32nd birthday. They took the skull to a neighboring stable and showed it to a ranch hand, prompting a decades-long investigation that has only recently begun to yield answers. ~ The Palm Beach Post
Following the discovery of those remains, PBSO and the Medical Examiner’s Office collected them and investigated the scene where the remains were discovered. As the identity of the remains were unknown, the case was ruled a homicide.
The deceased remained one of PBSO, Cold Cases, Unidentified Human Remains, “The Nameless”. At the time of discovery, DNA was entered in the FBI’s CODIS database, where no matches were found.
However, recent advancements in the domain of Forensic Investigative Genetic Genealogy facilitated by Othram led to a breakthrough in the case. A kinship match was obtained, identifying the deceased as Terry Ketron.
Officials credit advanced Forensic Investigative Genetic Genealogy (FIGG) to a breakthrough in identifying Unidentified Remains found on Jan. 12, 1985
The police investigation into Ketron’s background revealed that he traveled to south Florida in the early 1980’s from the State of Kentucky with a female companion named Connie or Bonnie (her last name unknown). At that time, Ketron spoke to his family on the telephone where he said that he was having problems with his girlfriend – and her family members.
Ketron’s family had not heard from him since that phone call and his whereabouts remained unknown.
Update: New Development in the case.
In an update provided by the sheriff’s office on Tuesday, CBS 12 News reported detectives as saying they are now looking for the man and woman photographed with Ketron on a pier, and have shared that newly surfaced photograph below.
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The Sheriff’s Office said that the identities and the location of the photo are unknown, but the two individuals pictured above with Terry may know something related to his disappearance or death. And officials are now looking for the public’s assistance in identifying the two.
Anyone with information is asked to call Homicide Cold Case Detective John Cogburn at 561-688-4063. If you wish to remain anonymous call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-458-TIPS (8477). If your tip leads to an arrest you may receive a cash reward of up to $3,000
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(Source and all images: PBSO)
Posted by Richard Webster, Ace News Today
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