Zachary Pearson Obituary, Death – A significant breakthrough has occurred in a three-year-old cold case in Boyd County, Kentucky. The unidentified body discovered in a shallow grave in 2020 has finally been identified as Zachary Taylor Pearson, a 23-year-old from St. Albans, West Virginia, who had been fatally shot.
The discovery of Pearson’s body came about when a couple of hunters stumbled upon the shallow grave on a property off East Park Drive in July 2020. Despite law enforcement’s efforts, the victim’s identity remained a mystery for years. Boyd County Coroner Mark Hammond confirmed the identification of John Doe as Zachary Taylor Pearson. Hammond explained that the case saw many obstacles and limited leads, making it challenging to uncover information about the victim.
However, a breakthrough occurred when a Texas-based company called Othram, operating the website DNASolves.com, reached out to investigators. The company had been working with Kentucky authorities and investigators to help identify the victim. Hammond revealed that a family member of Pearson had shared their DNA with a commercial family-ancestry type website. This critical piece of information led to the breakthrough in the case.
Hammond emphasized the significance of this breakthrough, describing it as a “game-changer” for identifying unidentified individuals in cold cases. He also noted that the victim had never been reported missing.
Kentucky State Police are currently handling the investigation, and with the victim now identified, they can continue their efforts to uncover the circumstances surrounding Zachary Taylor Pearson’s tragic death.
