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A chilling cold case from 1980 has finally seen a breakthrough. Investigators announced that Larry Eugene Parks, a 30-year-old Vietnam War veteran, has been identified as a victim of notorious California serial killer Randy Kraft, nearly 45 years after his body was found off Interstate 5 in Oregon.

Dubbed the “Scorecard Killer,” Kraft was convicted of murdering 16 men in California and is suspected of killing over 60 victims along the West Coast and in Michigan. Now, authorities believe that Parks was one of his early victims.

“With Parks’ identity confirmed, investigators are now working to bring resolution to the 45-year-old case,” said Oregon State Police.

🔗 NBC News: Scorecard Killer’s Alleged Victim Identified
🔗 Orange County Sheriff’s Department: John Doe Victim Identified After 49 Years
🔗 Yahoo News: Vietnam War Veteran Identified as Possible Scorecard Killer Victim

Discovery of the Body

On July 18, 1980, Larry Parks’ body was discovered near Woodburn, Oregon, on the side of I-5. The following day, another male victim was also found nearby. Investigators believed the two murders were linked, but with no identity and few leads, both cases went cold for decades.

It wasn’t until April 2025 that thanks to advances in forensic genealogy the pieces finally fell into place.

Forensic Genealogy Leads to Breakthrough

In 2024, an investigator from the Orange County Sheriff’s Department Cold Case Unit reached out to Oregon State Police (OSP) and offered assistance. A genetic profile of the John Doe was created using a preserved blood sample from the original crime scene. That DNA led detectives to Parks’ surviving relatives, who submitted their own samples to confirm the match.

“Until his identification last month, the circumstances of his disappearance were unknown to the Parks family,” OSP noted.

Parks had reportedly lost contact with his family in 1979, and was last seen in Pensacola, Florida, before making his way to Oregon.

The Scorecard Killer: Randy Kraft

Randy Kraft was arrested in 1983 in Orange County, California, and became known as the Scorecard Killer due to a coded list of victims he kept—what investigators described as a chilling “scorecard” of his murders.

Though Kraft was convicted of 16 murders in California in 1989, investigators believe he murdered at least 60 men across several states. Evidence from the murder scenes of both Parks and another unidentified man along I-5 was originally transferred to Orange County during Kraft’s trial.

That same evidence played a key role in the conviction—and later, in this long-awaited identification.

“The meticulous work of the cold case teams has given a name back to a forgotten soul,” said a spokesperson for the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.

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Another Victim Identified in 2023

This is not the first time Kraft’s cold cases have been reopened. In 2023, another victim, an Iowa teenager, was identified using similar genealogy techniques.

These breakthroughs underscore the growing importance of DNA databases and cross-jurisdictional collaboration in resolving decades-old unsolved murders.

The Road Ahead

Investigators are now reviewing other cold cases potentially tied to Kraft’s killing spree. With Parks’ identity confirmed, there is renewed hope that other unidentified victims may soon be named, and families may finally receive closure.

“Every life matters, and every victim deserves justice—even if it’s 45 years later,” said a member of Oregon’s Cold Case Unit.