The identity of a man found chained at the bottom of a lake nearly 25 years ago has been discovered
Tests proved that he was a wanted criminal by the FBI.
• Photo: Kentucky State Police
Roger Dale Parham
Nearly 25 years later, the identity of the body found wrapped in chains and tied at the bottom of the lake was discovered. According to authorities, he is Roger Dale Parham, a man wanted by the FBI on charges of child abuse. The body was discovered on May 6, 1999 by two fishermen in Lake Barkley, Kentucky, USA.
At the time, investigators were unable to identify the man using available investigative techniques and profiling methods. In 2016, the victim's body was exhumed in the hope that further investigation would eventually reveal the man's identity. But despite the efforts, the man remained unidentified.
In early 2023, the Kentucky State Police began working with a private forensic laboratory that specializes in forensic genealogy, and through advanced genealogical DNA testing of the remains, a member of the man's family was discovered.
Roger Dale Parham was living in Fort Smith, Arkansas, in 1999. At the time, he was awaiting trial on several felony charges, after being arrested in late 1998 for rape of a minor and released on bail.
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