Veteran found dead in 1980 may be victim of convicted serial killer, OR cops say
A man found dead along an Oregon interstate nearly 45 years ago has been identified, and his death is possibly linked to a convicted California serial killer, police say.
Using DNA testing, investigators identified the body as Larry Parks, a Vietnam veteran, Oregon State Police said in a May 9 news release.
Body found
The body of an unknown man was found “along Interstate 5 near Woodburn” the early morning of July 18, 1980, police said.
A day earlier, the body of Michael O’Fallon was also found along the same interstate in Marion County, deputies said.
Investigators at the time believed the two deaths were related based on the similar evidence, police said.
However, as “investigative leads dried up,” both cases went cold, according to police.
Though investigators tried to identify the unknown man, his name remained a mystery, police said.
Evidence transferred
Three years after the men’s bodies were found, Randy Kraft was arrested on a murder charge in Orange County, California, police said.
He was eventually convicted of 16 murders in California “although he’s suspected of committing more than 60 murders across the West Coast and Michigan,” according to police.
At the time of his trial, evidence from the two Marion County cases was given to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office, police said.
For decades, “the evidence remained in Orange County,” police said.
Genetic genealogy to ID
Then in 2024, an Orange County Sheriff’s Department investigator reached out to police about identifying the remains using forensic investigative genetic genealogy.
Genetic genealogy uses DNA testing coupled with “traditional genealogical methods” to create “family history profiles,” according to the Library of Congress. With genealogical DNA testing, researchers can determine if and how people are biologically related.
Using a blood sample from the man, Parabon Nanolabs created a genetic profile, police said.
The profile led investigators to the man’s possible family members, who submitted DNA samples for testing, police said.
Through testing, the man was confirmed to be Parks, police said.
Parks, who was 30 years old at the time of his death, was last seen in Pensacola, Florida, police said.
His family lost contact with him in 1979 and was unsure of what happened to him until his recent identification, according to police.
Now that the remains have been identified as Parks, police said they are “working to bring resolution to the 45-year-old case.”
Kraft, known as the “Scorecard Killer,” is being investigated as the sole person of interest in Parks’ case, Oregon State Police spokesperson Kyle Kennedy told the Associated Press.
“There’s some evidence that we’re processing to determine that link,” Kennedy told the news outlet. “We are very confident that we have the correct person of interest.”
Kraft, 80, remains on death row in California, jail records show.
Woodburn is about a 30-mile drive southwest from Portland.
This story was originally published May 12, 2025 at 12:34 PM with the headline "Veteran found dead in 1980 may be victim of convicted serial killer, OR cops say."
