Body found in Kentucky lake identified as fugitive wanted by FBI

Remains found by fishermen in Kentucky nearly 25 years ago have been identified as a man wanted on charges out of Arkansas, Kentucky State Police announced Monday.

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A warrant was issued for Roger Dale Parham’s arrest in 1999 after he failed to appear for a court hearing, according to the FBI. He had been arrested months earlier for rape involving a minor, authorities said.

Investigators believed that Parham might have fled to Mexico.

On Monday, police confirmed that his remains were actually found in 1999 by two men fishing on a lake in Lyon County.

On May 6, 1999, fishermen found a body in Lake Barkley. It had been wrapped in heavy tire chains and anchored with a hydraulic jack, according to police.

Investigators were unable to identify the remains. In 2016, authorities exhumed the body in hopes of making an identification, but their efforts were unsuccessful.

Earlier this year, police started working with private forensic lab Othram Inc. Testing by the lab, in partnership with the National Missing and Unidentified Person System, led to Parham’s identification, officials said.

Parham was arrested in November 1998 and disappeared in March 1999, according to police. He was believed to have fled from prosecution.

His cause of death remains unclear. Police said that because of the circumstances surrounding the discovery of his body, authorities are investigating the case as a homicide.

Officials continue to investigate.