Otha Young Jr. of Louisville, Kentucky was reported missing by his family on October 10th, 1996. That is the same day that he checked out of the Best Western Hotel in Florence, Kentucky.
His skeletal remains and several personal items were discovered by a city of Florence Public Works Officer eight years later off the Southbound lane of I-75 in Florence, Kentucky on November 16, 2004 near the St. Elizabeth's hospital property.
At the time the skeletal remains were found, an anthropological exam was conducted by the Kentucky State Forensic Anthropologist Dr. Emily Craig. By December of 2004, the clues and information gleaned from that exam were made available. The skeletal remains were determined to have belonged to a Caucasian male age 45-65, who had suffered previous injuries to his head, rib, and nose and who had had open chest/open heart surgery. In addition, the unidentified male had lower back arthritis, brown wavy hair, and smoked filtered cigarettes.
The post mortem interval was determined to be in the range of 24 months to ten years.
Originally the unidentified male was thought to be a homeless man but several clues found at the scene said otherwise. Through good old fashioned detective work and the wonders of modern forensics, the skeletal remains were identified and the connection made to the missing man from Louisville.
Countless investigative hours have been logged on this case and investigators believe it can be solved.
Please contact the Florence Police Department at (859) 647-5420 if you have any information concerning this crime.
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