~ from the Knox County Regional Forensic Center
A man whose remains were discovered in Knoxville in 1988 has now been identified through a partnership between the Knoxville Police Department, the Knox County Regional Forensic Center and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation’s Unidentified Human Remains Initiative.
“The Knox County Regional Forensic Center is grateful for its hardworking team and everyone else involved because none of us quit working for the unidentified,” said Chris Thomas, the Center’s director and chief administrative officer. “We want the families to have closure.”
On Aug. 30, 1988, railway workers discovered the body of a man in the Coster Rail Yard area of Knoxville. Forensic anthropologists determined the remains belonged to a white male likely between the ages of 21 and 30.
His death was ruled a homicide. KPD investigators and the RFC worked to identify the victim using the technology available at the time.
After exhausting all leads, they were unable to determine his identity, and the victim was classified as a John Doe.
Efforts to identify the Knoxville man continued in the years that followed. UT’s Forensic Anthropology Center later submitted a sample of the remains to the University of Texas Center for Human Identification.
A DNA profile was developed and entered into the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) and the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) in hopes the man could eventually be identified. However, no matches were made.
In May 2023, as part of the TBI Unidentified Human Remains DNA Initiative, TBI agents assisted KPD and the RFC by submitting a sample of the remains to Othram, a private lab based in Texas, for forensic genealogical (FGG) DNA testing.
Scientists were able to identify possible relatives connected to the man. Last month, agents and detectives contacted one of the potential family members and obtained a familial DNA sample. That sample was submitted to Othram for comparison with the DNA from the unidentified remains.
Based on DNA testing and forensic genealogy results, scientists confirmed the remains belonged to James Robert Benson (DOB: 09/11/1965), originally from the Knoxville area. Benson was last seen near the end of March 1988.
Detectives and agents are asking for the public’s help as they continue to investigate the homicide of James Robert Benson. Anyone with information about this case, is asked to contact the Knoxville Police Department Homicide Unit at 865-215-7275.
TBI is proud to partner with the Knoxville Police Department and the Knox County Regional Forensic Center to bring answers to this three-decade-old mystery. You can read more about TBI’s Unidentified Human Remains DNA Initiative by clicking here.
