Stunning Breakthrough: PG County Police Identify Man Killed In 1984 Cold Case

BOWIE, MD — Prince George's County Police have just identified a homicide victim in a cold case that dates all the way back to 1984, a huge break that could lead to his killer more than three decades later.

Police say the man is 27-year-old Bennett Louis, and the department released a picture of him in a U.S. Marine Corps uniform. A man and his son found his remains while out walking in a wooded area in Beltsville in October of 1984, according to a report from the Prince George's County Police Department.

Police were able to get a break in the case by using advanced fingerprint technology at the FBI Laboratory in Quantico to identify him. Louis, who was originally from Louisiana, last lived in Jacksonville, N.C., the report states.

"Louis had been shot multiple times," the report states. "It’s estimated his remains had been in the wooded area in the 12000 block of Baltimore Avenue for up to three months. Cold Case Unit detectives and the victim’s family do not know why he was in our area in 1984. The last time he had been seen alive was in 1983 by family in Berkley, California."

Police say they are "determined" to provide answers to Louis' family despite the fact that so much time has passed. Police ask anyone with information to call 301-772-4925, or Crime Solvers at 1-866-411-TIPS. They are offering a reward of up to $25,000.

Image via PGPD