Particle.news
Download on the App Store
6 ARTICLES
·
3mo ago

Vietnam Veteran Identified as Victim of Serial Killer Randy Kraft in 1980 Oregon Cold Case

Larry Eugene Parks' remains were identified through genetic genealogy, linking his death to the infamous 'Scorecard Killer,' Randy Kraft, who is now the sole suspect in the case.

FILE - Randy Kraft listens inside a courtroom in Santa Ana, Calif., Aug. 11, 1989, as a jury recommends he should die in the gas chamber for his two-decade spree of sexual violence and mutilation that left at least 16 young men and boys dead. (AP Photo/Alan Greth, File)
Randy Kraft in 1989 in Santa Ana, Calif.
Image
Image

Overview

  • Larry Eugene Parks, a 30-year-old Vietnam veteran, was identified as the victim of a 1980 homicide along Interstate 5 in Oregon after nearly 45 years as a John Doe.
  • Investigators used forensic genetic genealogy to confirm Parks' identity in 2025, following a renewed effort by the Orange County Sheriff's Department in 2024.
  • Randy Kraft, the convicted 'Scorecard Killer,' is the sole person of interest in Parks' murder, with authorities processing additional evidence to strengthen the link.
  • Kraft, now 80 and incarcerated on death row, was convicted in 1989 for 16 murders and is suspected of killing up to 67 men across multiple states from 1972 to 1983.
  • Parks' identification follows other recent breakthroughs using genetic genealogy, including the identification of two additional Kraft victims in 2023 and 2024.