In 1984, Lester Rome, who was 58-years-old at the time, was reported missing to Jefferson Parish (Louisiana) authorities. Monday, 37 years later, his body was finally identified.
The Sabine Parish Sheriff's Office provided a rundown of the investigation timeline:
April 1986: A Sabine Parish landowner discovered human skeletal remains in a water well on his property. Some of the skeletal remains were recovered at the time, but a positive identification was unable to be determined.
October 2013: LSU Forensic Anthropology and Computer Enhancement Services (FACES) Laboratory made a possible connection with the remains from the well and Lester Rome. The skeletal remains had shotgun pellets embedded in the pelvic area. Rome had been shot in the abdomen area with a shotgun some years prior to when he went missing.
December 10, 2020: Former D.A. Investigator Ted Delacerda gave several news clippings and photographs about the case to the Sabine Parish Sheriff’s Office.
February 2021: With the current landowner’s permission, Sabine Parish Sheriff Detectives attempted to recover more skeletal remains from the well by mechanical means but were unsuccessful.
April 2021: With help from Central Sabine Fire Department’s confined space entry team personnel, more skeletal remains and other items of evidence were recovered from inside the well.
October 18, 2021: Sabine Parish Coroner Mark Holder issued a Fact of Death Certificate stating the skeletal remains recovered from the well were those of Lester Rome. Next of kin has been notified.
Sabine Parish Sheriff Detectives are still investigating this case and searching for more information that may lead to the person(s) responsible for the death of Lester Rome.
Photo: The well where skeletal remains were recovered. Credit: Sabine Parish Sheriff's Office.