A body discovered wrapped in chains by two fishermen in Lake Barkley, Kentucky, almost 25 years ago has finally been identified as Roger Dale Parham, who was on the FBI most wanted list
MIRROR
The body of a man found 25 years ago wrapped in chains and anchored to the bottom of a lake has finally been identified as a man wanted by the FBI for child abuse.
On May 6, 1999, two fishermen discovered human remains in Lake Barkley, in Lyon County, Kentucky. The man’s body had been wrapped in heavy tire chains and anchored to the bottom of the lake with a hydraulic jInvestigators at the time were unable to identify the man using investigative techniques and profiling methods available to them at the time. Then, in 2016, the victim’s body was exhumed in the hopes that further investigation combined with an advancement in DNA technology and identification techniques could help give the man a name.
Despite extensive efforts using the DNA technology available at the time along with dental examinations, forensic pathology and other advanced forensic testing, the man remained nameless. A profile was created for the John Doe on the National Missing and Unidentified Person System.
More details were provided, including the fact he was measured at 6ft 3ins and weighed an estimated 225lbs with brown hair and eyes. The body found floating in the lake was wearing a white ‘No Fear’ t-shirt, a nylon Dallas Cowboys jacket, a light green nylon Reebok jacket, blue jeans, a black leather belt and white socks.
He was also found with an XL maroon sport shirt and towels “all wrapped around [the] neck”. He had gold crowns and a permanent bridge and was wearing size 10 and-a-half-wide Voit tennis shoes.
But then in early 2023, Kentucky State Police began working with Othram Inc., a private forensic lab specialising in forensic genealogy. Through advanced genealogy DNA testing of the remains, a relative of the unidentified man was discovered.
Eventually, police were able to name the man found at the bottom of the lake as Roger Dale Parham. But as investigators began to dig deeper into who the man at the bottom of the lake really was, some shocking revelations came to light.
Parham was living in Fort Smith, Arkansas, in 1999. At the time, he was waiting trial on various criminal charges having been arrested in late 1998 on a charge of rape involving a minor and released on bond.
The 52-year-old labourer, who often preferred to be paid in cash, was known to be a charming odd-job man with an interest in antiques. But soon, he was gone, “thought to have left the area to flee prosecution”, according to police.
