() A homicide victim who had originally been unidentified for over 40 years has been identified.
Oregon State Police have said that, with the help of DNA samples, they were able to identify the victim as Vietnam veteran Larry Eugene Parks. His death could allegedly be linked to the “Scoreboard Killer,” who was convicted of committing multiple murders in California in the 1970s and ’80s.
Parks’ body was found in July 1980 along Interstate 5 in Oregon, one day after Michael O’Fallon’s remains were found along the same interstate but about 34 miles south, according to the department. Investigators had believed Parks and O’Fallon’s cases were related, but the leads ran out, and they went cold.
Investigators working on solving 45-year-old cold case
Now that Parks’ identity has been discovered, the Oregon State Police Department is trying to solve the 45-year-old case. They are also trying to confirm if his death is tied to Randy Steven Kraft, not only known as the “Scorecard Killer” but also as the “Southern California Strangler” and the “Freeway Killer.”
Author Jack Smith, who wrote a novel on the Scoreboard Killer, said Kraft was a computer programmer and preyed on hitchhikers as well as unsuspecting bar hoppers. He would reportedly torture, mutilate and sexually assault these victims, with most victims being gay.
Evidence from Parks’ and O’Fallon’s murders was used during Kraft’s trial, and authorities still reportedly had the evidence until 2024.
‘Scoreboard Killer’ pulled over with dead body in front seat: Police
In the 1970s and ’80s, there were multiple men’s bodies found in Southern California. In 1983, Kraft was taken into custody, and an officer found a dead man in the front seat of his vehicle during a traffic stop. He also reportedly saw empty beer bottles and an open bottle of Lorazepam.
The victim in the vehicle was identified as a 25-year-old Marine corporal. Terry Lee Gambrel had allegedly asked for a ride from Kraft after a party, according to the department. In Kraft’s trunk, officers found a coded list that they believe Kraft used to record all his victims.
Kraft was reportedly convicted in 1989 of 16 murders, but police believe he could be responsible for over 60 murders in Michigan and along the West Coast. He is still on death row at 80 years old at the California Institution for Men.
Investigator contacted cold case unit to use forensic genealogy on remains
Parks’ family allegedly lost touch with him in 1979, according to police. He was last seen in Pensacola, Florida, and was found in 1980. In 2024, an investigator with the Orange County Sheriff’s Department contacted the cold case unit to use forensic genealogy to help identify Parks.
Parks’ family members were contacted to submit DNA samples, which led to his identification. This is also how Michael Ray Schlicht, whose body was found in 1974, was identified in October 2023. Detectives are also trying to figure out if Schlicht’s death is related to Kraft.
