Human remains in cold case homicide identified after 38 years
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New lead surfaces in 1985 Palm Beach County cold case murder and officials seek public’s help
(Dec. 28, 2023) Yesterday, 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.
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.
Now, PBSO Cold Case Detectives are seeking the public’s assistance with identifying Terry Ketron’s female companion who traveled with him to Florida – or any other friends or associates known to him. Anyone with information is urged to contact Detective John Cogburn at 561-688-4063, CogburnJ@pbso.org or Crime Stoppers at ** TIPS, 1-800-458-TIPS
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(Source: PBSO)
Posted by Richard Webster, Ace News Today
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