Police announced on Friday that notorious California serial killer Randy Kraft has been identified as the suspect in the murder of a man nearly 45 years ago. Larry Eugene Parks, 30, was discovered dead along Interstate 5 in Oregon on July 18, 1980. Despite an investigation at the time, Parks remained unidentified until recently when an investigator from Orange County Sheriff’s Department utilized forensic genealogy in 2024 to identify him. Kraft, who is currently incarcerated at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center, was convicted of killing 16 men in Orange County during a decade-long spree that ended with his arrest. Authorities also suspect him of committing over 60 murders across the West Coast and Michigan. Using a genetic profile created from a blood sample, investigators were able to locate and contact Parks’ family members, leading to his identification. Parks, a Vietnam veteran, had lost touch with his family a year before his death, and until his recent identification, his disappearance had remained a mystery to his family. Police believe Kraft is responsible for Parks’ death, as well as the murder of another man found on I-5 the day before Parks. Evidence from both cases has been transferred to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office for potential use in court. The investigator’s efforts in 2024 to identify Parks have brought new hope for resolving this cold case. Additionally, in 2023, a teenager from Iowa believed to have been one of Kraft’s early victims was also identified through genealogy.
