A woman’s body was found on the side of a rural road in Owenton, Kentucky, in the spring of 1988. The victim remained unidentified for more than three decades and was treated as a cold case until DNA work in December 2022 matched her to a son’s sample and identified her as 38-year-old Linda Bennett of Columbus, Ohio. Bennett had been the subject of a missing person report filed in June 1988, but that report was not connected to the Owen County Jane Doe until the DNA breakthrough.

Kentucky State Police have classified Bennett’s death as a homicide and the investigation remains open. At the time of her identification no suspects had been named and no arrests had been announced. There has been public speculation about a possible connection to Samuel Little, who confessed to a Kentucky murder with some similar details, but investigators have not confirmed any link.

If anyone knew Linda Bennett, her movements in 1988, or has information about the road where she was found, please come forward to assist the ongoing investigation.