A young man was found buried in a shallow grave at EastPark industrial development in Ashland, Kentucky, on July 18, 2020. Two hunters discovered the skeletal remains, and an autopsy later determined the cause of death to be a gunshot wound. Toxicology showed drugs in his system, and examiners estimated the body had been in the grave for two weeks to a month before discovery.

The victim was identified as 26-year-old Zachary Taylor Pearson of Saint Albans, West Virginia, after the Kentucky Medical Examiner’s Office and Kentucky State Police worked with a private forensic DNA lab. Advanced DNA sequencing and forensic genetic genealogy produced a profile that led to his family, and relatives confirmed the identification in September 2023. Pearson reportedly had no known ties to Kentucky, and it is unknown whether he was killed at the EastPark site or moved there afterward. No arrests have been announced and the Kentucky State Police continue to seek information.

If anyone knew Zachary Taylor Pearson, saw suspicious activity near EastPark in July 2020, or has information about how he came to be in Ashland, please share what you know.