In 1985, while the world was witnessing the rise of Mikhail Gorbachev as the new President of the Soviet Union and the push for U.S. President Ronald Reagan’s tax reform bill, unidentified human remains were also found off the side of I-195 West in Fairhaven, Massachusetts. However, 40 years later, authorities finally identified him.
In April 1985, Fairhaven Police responded to the I-195 Highway after a road user found the remains during a rest stop. At the time, the only lead investigators had was a tax-stamped pack of cigarettes, which indicated the individual was from Rhode Island and spent projectiles that showed foul play was involved in the individual’s demise, according to DNA Solves.com. Then, authorities preserved the remains and sent it to the FBI Headquarters in Washington D.C. for further identification.
As a result, the FBI made a cast of the victim’s face in an effort to show what he would look like when he was alive. They used the media to disseminate the picture in the states of Rhode Island and Massachusetts and hoped someone would recognize the picture. However, the case went cold.
However, in 2022, Massachusetts State authorities submitted the skeletal remains to Othram, a Texas-based company with the capacity to extract DNA using Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing to create a DNA profile. As a result, the FBI was able to track down a relative of the unidentified individual and led investigators to identify the remains as 32-year-old Keith Olson.
Investigators discovered family members had reported Olson missing in 1981 and told investigators his girlfriend had an ex-boyfriend who was a member of the Mafia. The Olson was last seen leaving his home with two unidentified men.
Now, authorities claim they know who murdered Olson even though the perpetrator died in 2019. However, they believe the killer did not act alone.
“He has never been — not for a moment — out of our minds and hearts. Keith was a vibrant person whose life, disappearance and discovery have meant to much to those who will forever love him,” stated Olson’s family members as they thanked law enforcement officers for never giving up, reported 12 News
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