Body Found Wrapped in Tire Chains in Kentucky Lake 24 Years Ago Identified as Man Wanted by FBI

Roger Dale Parham was believed by the FBI to be on the run and headed to Mexico when he failed to show up in court on 1998 rape charges

A man whose remains were found by fishermen deep in a Kentucky lake in 1999 has been identified as Roger Dale Parham, who had been wanted by the FBI at the time his body was found, the Kentucky State Police said in a statement.

At that time, Parham was believed to be on the run following an arrest in connection with a rape involving a minor the previous year, according to the FBI's Most Wanted list.

Parham, who would have been 77 today, was arrested in November 1998 in connection with the alleged rape and released on bond by a court in Arkansas, according to the FBI. When he failed to appear in court, he faced a slew of legal ramifications over the next few months as he remained seemingly a fugitive, said the FBI.

His bond was revoked and he was subject to a bench warrant for arrest in June 1999, following the issuing of a federal arrest warrant a few months later in September, according to the FBI. He faced federal charges for "unlawful flight to avoid persecution," the FBI said in its statement.

At the time, he was considered to have fled Arkansas and the FBI suspected he may have headed to Mexico, according to the statement.

His remains, unidentified for years, were found in May 1999 in Lake Barkley, Lyon County, Ky., according to the Kentucky State Police. “The individual was located wrapped in heavy tire chains and anchored with a hydraulic jack,” the state police said in the agency's statement.

"Until now, Parham’s disappearance remained a mystery," the statement said.

It's not immediately clear if his time of death has been determined.

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Parham’s cause of death has not been established, and his death is being investigated as a homicide owing to the “suspicious circumstances in which the remains were located," according to the Kentucky State Police.

In 2016, his body was exhumed “in hopes that further examinations would help make an identification,” the Kentucky State Police statement said.

Authorities had failed to identify the remains upon their discovery in 1999 with “traditional investigative techniques” but they had little luck even after the 2016 exhumation, despite the use of advanced techniques such as DNA technology, dental examinations, forensic pathology and other advanced forensic testing, said the statement.

Earlier this year, investigators collaborated with forensic genealogy scientists, which led them to a relative of Parham — a break in the case that helped them identify him, according to the Kentucky State Police.

Anyone who has information regarding the death of Parham is urged to call Kentucky State Police Post 1- Mayfield at (270)-856-3721. Tips can also be provided by accessing the Kentucky State Police website at www.kentuckystatepolice.ky.gov/tip.

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