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Louis, Bennett 1983/MDM8410??; Prince George's Co., MD - found deceased
Topic Started: May 24 2017, 12:56 PM (25 Views)
tatertot
Advanced Member
[ *  *  * ]
:( May Bennett Rest in Peace :(

A 33-year-old mystery solved: Skeletal remains found in 1984 are finally identified
By Lynh Bui and Dana Hedgpeth May 24 at 11:40 AM

A picture shows a young man with deep-set eyes in a Marine uniform. He disappeared in the early 1980s.

His fate is now known, although exactly what happened to him is still a mystery. Authorities in Prince George’s County, Md., say they have identified skeletal remains found 33 years ago as those of Bennett Louis, who was 27 years old when he was killed.

A father and son out on a walk discovered the remains were in a wooded area of Beltsville in October 1984.

For decades, detectives had tried to identify him but couldn’t. But using more advanced fingerprint technology at the FBI lab in Quantico, they were finally able to figure out who he was. Louis’s last known address was in Jacksonville, N.C., police said, and he was originally from New Roads, La.

Louis had been shot several times and had a bullet hole in his skull, according to Prince George’s County police cold case detective Bernie Nelson. He had no identification on him.

His remains, police said, had been left in the wooded area near Baltimore Avenue for up to three months. Authorities said his family did not know why he was in the Maryland suburbs. The last time his family reported him being alive was in 1983 in Berkeley, Calif.

With improved technology, authorities said they were able to identify Louis. The FBI was able to analyze skin left on his fingers to get fingerprints and matched him to national databases.

“We have a number of Jane and John Doe cases, but we never stop identifying who they are so we can allow the families to know what happened to their loved one,” Nelson said.

In Louis’s case, he had told people that he planned to leave California to start a new life and his family never reported him missing, according to Nelson.

Louis served in the U.S. Marine Corps for at least three years; authorities are still working to determine what his rank was and when he served, Nelson said. Nelson said detectives are also working with the military to learn more about Louis’s life.

“We’re still in the process of trying to obtain more information about him,” Nelson said.

Louis was married at one point, but later divorced. His ex-wife has since died. There is no indication of how or why he wound up in Maryland and the Washington region.

Louis was last wearing a dark blue leisure suit with black leather zip-up boots or shoes, Nelson said.

Christina Cotterman, a spokeswoman for Prince George’s police, encouraged anyone who thinks they have information about Louis, “no matter how small,” to call detectives.

“A lot of time has passed but our detectives can work with the smallest detail,” Cotterman said.

A reward of up to $25,000 is being offered. Anyone with information is asked to call 301-772-4925.
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