The Knox County Regional Forensic Center has made a breakthrough in a decades-old homicide case, identifying a female victim whose body was discovered near a creek in November 1998.
When found, her naked body was badly decomposed. A subsequent autopsy report said she has a gunshot wound to the head and a stab wound in her right chest. With no obvious identification, the case went cold quickly.
Now, investigators have determined that the remains are those of Lori A. Alexander, 27, from Toledo, Ohio, who was reported missing early in October 1998.
“No one is forgotten or neglected at the Knox County Regional Forensic Center,” said Chris Thomas, the Center’s Chief Administrative Officer. “We work diligently every day to try to identify every decedent and connect them with their next of kin, regardless of how long they’ve been here.”
In 2015, Alexander’s body was exhumed in the hopes of using advanced technology to identify the victim. A break came in August 2020 when the Knox Forensic Center was granted permission to directly submit fingerprints to an FBI database. This allowed for comparison with recently digitized fingerprint cards from other jurisdictions across the nation from past decades, finally generating a hit on Alexander.
At that time, the Knox Forensic Center was also able to identify Tena Marie Gattrell, a 27-year-old woman from California who was killed in Knox County in 1987.
“It’s no secret that our Regional Forensic Center is an incredible county asset,” said Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs. “The staff is skilled and I’m grateful for the care they put into the job they do.”
Republished courtesy of Knox Forensic Center.