HOUSTON — A woman from Houston who was killed more than 40 years ago has finally been identified.
Kathy Ann Smith, 22, is possibly one of the dozens of women murdered by notorious Texas serial killer Henry Lee Lucas who was profiled in a Netflix docuseries.
In 1979, Smith's body was found on the side of Highway 290 in Elgin, Texas, northwest of Austin. She was not identified at the time her body was found, and then in 2019, her body was exhumed, but DNA testing at the time didn't work.
"This is one of those cases that had failed traditional DNA testing," Dr. Kristen Mittelman said.
In 2022, the body was exhumed again and a specialized lab was able to crack the case.
Mittelman works with Othram, a lab in The Woodlands that has been able to crack many cold cases. Their technology was able to identify Smith's body.
"It was amazing to help with this case, as it is to be able to help with all these cases," Mittelman said.
The technology that Othram used is a game-changer. It's called forensic-grade genome sequencing.
"So, when you are able to get a 6th cousin, a 3rd cousin, a 4th cousin, we are able to piece back together where a victim belongs in a family tree," Mittelman said.
She said it builds hundreds of thousands of markers whereas traditional testing uses only 20.
"I truly believe that in our lifetime we will live in a world where people don’t have to wait decades to find out what happened to their loved one," she said.
The Netflix documentary "The Confession Killer" profiled Lucas' killing spree and his confessions to hundreds of murders. He later recanted many of his confessions and was eventually convicted in 11 cases. He died in prison in 2001 at the age of 64. Investigators in Bastrop County, outside of Austin, said he remains a suspect in Smith's death.
According to sources, Smith was adopted, which is why it took extra time to track down her family. They requested privacy in the wake of the identification.
Law enforcement officials said the case is a reminder to never give up.
"There’s a family that can rest in peace and there’s an individual who is not an indigent person in a grave and that’s a beautiful thing," Bastrop County District Attorney Bryan Goertz said.