Source: Jeffersonville News and Tribune, Louisville Courier-Journal
Floyd, Indiana -- The remains of an unidentified man who was buried 13 years ago after he was found dead near an Indiana interstate highway were exhumed yesterday in an effort to determine if he may have been the victim of a serial killer.

In September 1995, hunters discovered the remains of a man, likely in his 40s, in Floyds Knobs, Indiana, said Floyd County Sheriff’s Department Detective Capt. Jeff Topping at a Monday news conference. The remains -- which were estimated to have been there for between four and 12 weeks -- were never identified.

In 2003, Floyd County placed that case and cases of other unidentified and missing people into The Doe Network, a website run by volunteers who seek to solve cold cases and unexplained disappearances.

A woman who works for the network told Topping that Williams-Comer, 34, disappeared shortly before the body was found, that both were white males around the same age, that Williams-Comer had bad knees and that surgery had been performed on one knee of the body that was found.

In addition, the way the body was disposed near an interstate led authorities to believe whoever the victim is could have died at the hands of deceased serial killer Herb Baumeister, Topping said.

Baumeister killed himself in Canada in 1996 about a week after police found human remains on property he owned in Indiana. He has been linked to the deaths of at least 16 men, most of whom were strangled. He committed suicide before he could be arrested or tried for any of the killings.

All the victims were from Indianapolis and had ties to the gay community. Topping said Williams-Comer fit that description.

It took more than an hour to exhume the remains yesterday, with workers first using a backhoe and then shoveling by hand.

Topping said X-rays of the right shoulder will be taken at Floyd Memorial Hospital and will be compared with X-rays of Williams-Comer's right shoulder. In addition, a 2-inch bone sample will be sent to Indiana State Police for testing at the University of North Texas University in Denton, which does DNA work for law-enforcement agencies.

Because police have no DNA from Williams-Comer, a sample has been taken from his mother, who lives in Leavenworth, and tests will be performed to see if they match. Topping said he didn't know how long the process would take.

If the body is not that of Williams-Comer, it will then be compared to other cases in the Doe Network and other national databases.

“This certainly is an interesting case,” said Officer Joel White, the new evidence technician for the Floyd County Sheriff's Department. “The bottom line is this person had a mother. The important thing is that she get some closure.”

Full article: Body exhumed Monday in New Albany could be the victim of serial killer | News and Tribune
Remains may be linked to serial killer | Louisville Courier-Journal
hattip: 365Gay.com