KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — The Knox County Regional Forensic Center announced Wednesday that its team had made a breakthrough in a cold case dating back to 1998 and shared the identity of an Ohio woman whose body had been found near a creek in Campbell County, Tennessee.
Investigators have determined that the remains are those of 27-year-old Lori A. Alexander of Toledo, Ohio. She had been reported missing in October 1998 and her remains were found later that month.
“No one is forgotten or neglected at the Knox County Regional Forensic Center,” Chris Thomas, the Knox Forensics Center’s Chief Administrative Officer, said. “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 August 2020, the Knox Forensic Center was granted permission to directly submit prints to an FBI database, and this allowed for comparison with recently digitized fingerprint cards from other jurisdictions across the nation from past decades.
This sharing of information and digitized fingerprint cards is aiding in Knox Forensic Center’s ongoing investigations and has now led to two cold case breakthroughs within the last year for victim identifications.
Back in August, the Knox Forensic Center identified a victim in a 1987 cold case.
“It’s no secret that our Regional Forensic Center is an incredible county asset,” Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs said. “The staff is skilled and I’m grateful for the care they put into the job they do.”