Body found wrapped in chains in a Ky. lake 24 years ago has been identified as wanted man
Since 1999, federal officials have been looking for Roger Dale Parham, an Arkansas man who failed to appear in court after being charged with the rape of a minor.
It turns out, he had already been found at the bottom of a lake in Kentucky, but it took nearly 25 years for his body to be identified.
Two fisherman found the body “wrapped in heavy tire chains and anchored with a hydraulic jack” in Lake Barkley on May 6, 1999.
Kentucky State Police announced Thursday that “advanced DNA technology” had helped them identify the remains as Parham, according to a news release.
Parham was 52 years old when he was arrested for rape involving a minor on Nov. 21, 1998, according to the FBI.
The Circuit Court of Sebastian County, Arkansas, Fort Smith District, released him on bond, but his bond was revoked when he didn’t show up in court, and a bench warrant for his arrest was issued on June 3, 1999, according to the FBI. That was about a month after the unidentified body had been found in Kentucky.
A federal charge of unlawful flight to avoid prosecution was filed against Parham, and a federal arrest warrant was filed in September 1999 in federal court in Fort Smith, Ark.
The FBI’s wanted poster said Parham, who was said to be “very charming,” was thought to have fled Arkansas and might have gone to Mexico.
Parham did computer-related work and was said to have “an interest in photography as well as fixing and selling antiques. He prefers odd jobs so that he can get paid in cash,” the FBI poster stated.
While the FBI was on the lookout for Parham, Kentucky State Police were having trouble identifying the body found in the lake in Lyon County.
State police said in the news release that they weren’t able to identify him using “traditional investigative techniques” of that time.
“In 2016, the body of the victim was exhumed in hopes that further examinations would help make an identification,” the release stated. “Despite extensive efforts using DNA technology, dental examinations, forensic pathology, and other advanced forensic testing, the victim remained unidentified. A profile for the remains was entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Person System (NAMUS) as case: UP# 75.”
The break in the case came earlier this year, when state police began working with Othram, which they said is “a private forensic lab that specializes in forensic genealogy.”
“A partnership with NAMUS and Othram Inc. allowed for advanced genealogy DNA testing of the remains,” state police said.
They said the testing helped them find a relative of Parham and make a positive identification.
While the cause of death is unknown, state police said they are investigating the case as a homicide because of “the suspicious circumstances in which the remains were located.”
State police asked that anyone with information about Parham’s death call Post 1 in Mayfield at 270-856-3721 or leave a tip on the website at Kentuckystatepolice.ky.gov/tip.
