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ORLANDO, Florida (WESH) — After years without answers, the Orlando Police Department has finally identified human remains that were discovered decades ago.
The new findings were made possible by advances in modern DNA analysis and genetic genealogy, according to police.
1982 case
The first case dates back to 1982, when a man’s body was discovered at a construction site in downtown Orlando, according to police.
The man’s identity remained unknown for more than four decades.
In recent years, the Cold Case Unit revisited the case using new forensic science tools.
Detectives, working with the District Nine Medical Examiner’s Office and Othram Inc., used DNA and family reference samples to identify the remains as Vincent Todd Peterson, who was 16 when he died.
1996 case
On Sept. 15, 1996, witnesses discovered a man lying face down in a field on Middlebrook Road, according to Orlando police.
Authorities found no signs of trauma and determined he died of natural causes.
The case was considered closed as unfounded for nearly 30 years.
But after advanced DNA testing, detectives contacted the family of 49-year-old Keith Lloyd Landis.
His identity was confirmed through a DNA match with his sister, who said she had not heard from Landis since the mid-1990s, according to police.
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