Man, 30, and woman, 25, found shot dead off South Carolina highway in 1976 are identified using genetic genealogy after cops exhumed their bodies - but the killer remains nameless
A man and a woman found shot dead off a South Carolina highway in August 1976 have finally been identified using genetic genealogy after cops exhumed their bodies.
The bodies of James Paul Freund, 30, and Pamela Mae Buckley, 25, were found by a trucker on a narrow paved road just off Interstate 95 near Lynchburg more than 44 years ago, Sumter County Sheriff Anthony Dennis said on Thursday.
They went unidentified for 44 years before they were exhumed in 2007 in hopes of finding DNA. The DNA Doe Project got involved in 2019 and used genetic genealogy to reveal their names.
Authorities have now said they plan to reopen the case and hope naming the victims and releasing their photos might jog a memory that could lead to their killer.
James Paul Freund, 30, and Pamela Mae Buckley, 25, were found dead by a trucker in August 1976 and were identified 44 years later
Cops had released artist renderings of Freund and Buckley in an attempt to catch their killer
Sumter County Sheriff Anthony Dennis is pictured releasing the names of two people found shot to death near Interstate 95 more than 44 years ago
Sumter County Coroner Robbie Baker said Freund and Buckley were killed by shots to the back of the head and were both shot several times with the same gun.
'I hope there is somebody out there in the United States that comes with a guilty conscience or has some kind of memory of these victims,' Baker said at a news conference.
Both hadn't been seen for about eight months before they were found, and investigators are still trying to figure out their relationship, Dennis said.
Buckley, from Colorado Springs, had been reported missing in 1975.
Investigators said a missing person report was never filed for Freund, who was from Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Their families, who 'of course were upset' when cops told them of their cause of death, have been notified and asked for privacy.
'It is our hope that this news will bring the families some closure to what happened in 1976,' Dennis said.
The sheriff said 'there were and still are' persons of interest in the killings as well as suspects he plans to have interviewed.
Photos show the bodies of Freund and Buckley after they were shot to death
Rings belonging to Pamela Buckley were found at the crime scene
A ring and watch belonging to Freund were also found
Cops said they have been trying to determine if they were hitchhikers or if they had been driving a vehicle.
The sheriff at the time, Ira Parnell, dedicated much of his life to solving the case, his daughter told WIS-TV.
'He had such a tender heart, and he cared about people. I know it bothered him that they couldn't identify these people,' she said.
Parnell secured burial plots at his church, Bethel United Methodist, for the victims after their families could not be found, Dennis said.
The killings shook up the community - which held a funeral service for the mystery man and woman, WIS-TV reported.
Graham said the church plans to add new headstones with their names if the families choose to leave their loved one's bodies in the cemetery, according to the outlet.
Former Coroner Verna Moore had the bodies exhumed in 2007 to see if they could be identified through DNA.
A Clemson resident named Matt McDaniel suggested that investigators reach out to DNA Doe Project in 2019, which identified the victims about five months ago, WCIV reported.
They were found using GEDMatch.com, the same genealogy database used to catch the 'Golden State Killer', Joseph James DeAngelo.
'The investigation into the homicides remains open and the Sumter County Sheriff's Office will continue to follow up on all credible leads,' Dennis said.
Private investigator Matthew McDaniel talks about his role helping to identify two people found shot to death
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