The skeletal remains from a decades-old Idaho County case have been positively identified as those of an Oklahoma man.
The Idaho County Sheriff’s Office confirmed Monday that the skeletal remains are those of Roger Bennett, who is believed to have died in 1982.
The Lewiston Tribune reports that in 1983 Idaho County sheriff’s deputies first investigated an abandoned camp located about 40 yards from White Sand Road near Colt Killed Creek close to the Powell Ranger Station. Deputies found a nylon two-person tent, a sleeping bag, towels, cooking items and one prescription eyeglass lens. No identification was found and deputies believed the camp had been abandoned sometime the year before.
On Sept. 19th, 1984, hunters found a human skeleton about a mile from the abandoned camp found the previous year. Along with the skeleton were a pair of silver metal-framed prescription eyeglasses with one lens missing. Clothing, shoes and other items also were discovered, but no type of identification was found.
DNA and forensic sequencing through a national database finally found a likely match and samples submitted by family members in Oklahoma confirmed the remains were those of Bennett. (Lewiston Tribune)
