Cold Case Cracked: Arkansas State Police Identify Remains After 48 Years

The Arkansas State Police Criminal Investigation Division’s Cold Case Unit has confirmed the identity of human remains found almost fifty years ago, thanks to DNA and genealogy testing.

Nearly 50-Year-Old Cold Case Reopened

Back on January 13, 1977, in a rural area of Lee County, skeletal remains were discovered in a farm field near U.S. Highway 79, located just west of Marianna, Arkansas. At the time, investigators were unable to determine who the remains belonged to or how the person died.

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How DNA and Genealogy Identified the Remains

Then, according to a press release, the case was reopened in March 2024. The Arkansas State Police Cold Case Unit partnered with the Arkansas State Crime Lab and Othram Labs, a Texas-based DNA and genetic genealogy company. In June 2025, Othram Labs results showed that the remains were of Charles Howard Wallace. The investigators continued the work and set out to locate relatives of Wallace in Tennessee. They collected a DNA sample in July and then on Tuesday, September 2, the match was confirmed.

A Young Man Last Seen in Memphis

Wallace, who would have been 21 when his remains were found, had last been in contact with family in the fall of 1974. At that time, he was a teenager receiving treatment at a halfway house in downtown Memphis.

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Investigation Into Wallace's Death Continues

The circumstances of Wallace’s death remain under investigation.

ASO Colonel Mike Hagar said in the press release,

This identification provides long-overdue answers for the family and highlights the commitment of Arkansas State Police to ensuring no case is forgotten.

If you have any information about Wallace’s death Arkansas State Police ask for you to please contact the Cold Case Unit at ColdCase@asp.arkansas.gov