$5K reward offered in 1990 Opelika homicide after new victim profile released
Investigators shift focus to missing teens after new data alters age, height estimates
OPELIKA, Ala. (WTVM) - Forensic experts have determined that an unidentified homicide victim found in Opelika more than 35 years ago was a teenager, completely changing the direction of a decades-old cold case.
Following a May 5 exhumation at Evergreen Cemetery, the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences and forensic anthropologists conducted a re-examination of the remains. While the original 1990 autopsy estimated the victim was an adult between 18 and 25 years old, standing 5 feet 8 inches tall, the new data reveals the victim was actually a juvenile.
The Opelika Police Department released the revised physical profile on Monday, hoping the updated description would finally match missing persons reports from that time.
The newly adjusted profile includes:
- Age: 15 to 18 years old
- Height: Approximately 5 feet 5 inches to 5 feet 6 inches
- Weight: Estimated 135 to 145 pounds
- Cause of Death: Homicide via a single gunshot wound
The victim’s remains were originally discovered in September 1990 in a creek bed off Anderson Road. At the time, the unidentified Black male was wearing a white St. Louis Cardinals pinstripe jersey, Jordache blue jeans, and black Ellesse shoes.
During the recent examination at the ADFS Montgomery Medical Laboratory, officials also secured a new bone sample for advanced DNA analysis and comparison.
Detectives are now actively cross-referencing this updated profile with missing persons cases from 1990 and earlier—specifically looking at cases that may have been mistakenly ruled out years ago based on the incorrect height and age estimates.
Investigation and Reward Information
Central Alabama CrimeStoppers is offering a $5,000 reward for any information that leads to an arrest in this case.
Anyone who may have known a missing Black male between the ages of 15 and 18 in or before 1990 is asked to contact investigators immediately:
- Opelika Police Department Detective Division: 334-705-5220
- Secret Witness Hotline: 334-745-8665
- CrimeStoppers: 334-215-STOP (7867)
- Anonymous Tips: Can be submitted via the Opelika Police mobile app.
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