A man found deceased along Interstate 5 in Oregon has finally been identified after almost 45 years, and authorities have named a notorious serial killer from California as the primary suspect in the case. The individual, who was 30 years of age at the time of his death, was identified as Larry Eugene Parks. According to Oregon State Police representative Kyle Kennedy, the investigation has pointed to Randy Kraft, also known as the “Scorecard Killer,” as the central figure under scrutiny for the murder committed in 1980.
“We are analyzing certain pieces of evidence to establish that connection,” Kennedy noted. “We are very certain that we have identified the correct person of interest.” Kraft, who is currently 80 years old, was convicted in 1989 for the gruesome murders of 16 men over a ten-year span in California. He received a death sentence and is currently confined at San Quentin State Prison, though he maintains his innocence.
On July 18, 1980, law enforcement officers were dispatched in response to a report of a deceased body, subsequently identified as Parks, along I-5 south of Portland near Woodburn. At that time, a homicide probe was initiated, but officials were unsuccessful in identifying the victim. Parks was a Vietnam War veteran, and his family had lost touch with him in 1979; his last known whereabouts were in Pensacola, Florida, as per police records.
Kraft’s arrest in 1983 occurred after he was pulled over on a California freeway when a trooper observed him driving erratically. A strangled U.S. Marine was found seated in the passenger seat of his vehicle. In the trunk, police discovered a coded list believed to account for as many as 67 victims across California, Oregon, and Michigan. Kraft, a former computer programmer, was characterized by prosecutors as having a fetish, reportedly keeping some dismembered parts of his victims in his freezer.
In 2024, a detective from the Orange County Sheriff’s Department contacted the Oregon State Police Cold Case Unit, offering assistance in identifying the remains through forensic investigative genetic genealogy. A genetic profile was constructed using a blood sample, and Parks’ identity was subsequently confirmed when potential family members provided their DNA profiles for comparison.
Until he was identified last month, the details surrounding Parks’ disappearance remained a mystery to his family, law enforcement officials stated. Earlier in 2023, the remains of another victim, a teenager presumed to have been killed by Kraft in California, were also recognized using investigative genetic genealogy.