FORT MYERS, Fla. (WFLA) — Police say they have identified another victim of a Florida serial killer 15 years after the remains of eight men were found in 2007.
NBC affiliate WBBH reported that the Fort Myers Police Department confirmed a fourth victim of the “Hog Trail Killer,” Daniel Conahan, was identified thanks to DNA evidence.
Conahan was previously convicted and sentenced to death for murdering and mutilating a transient in 1996. According to investigators, Conaham is believed to be involved in the deaths of the eight men whose remains were found in a wooded area of east Fort Myers.
Fort Myers police said their cold case unit and DNA analysis company Parabon Labs used DNA evidence to identify this victim as 31-year-old Robert Ronald Soden.
Parabon Labs was previously involved in the identification of a victim of Spring Hill serial killer Billy Mansfield Jr.
The analysis was done by using DNA evidence collected from the victims’ skeletal remains to find a family tree that would match the samples.
The DNA samples were sent to the University of North Texas Center for Human Identification for analysis. These samples were then compared with DNA samples from families who said they had a missing relative.
Since the remains were found, authorities have identified three other victims as Jonathan Tinhay, Johnathan Blevins, and Eric Kohler.
“The investigation will not stop until all eight of the victims are identified and their families are notified,” the department said.
Those who knew Sodden in life were asked to contact Fort Myers police with information on the man.
