Body found in Elgin 44 years prior identified

Through a revitalized effort and aid from new genealogy technology, the Bastrop County Sheriff’s Office was able to identify and provide closure for the family of Kathy Ann Smith, 22, who was found murdered in north Elgin in 1979.

At the time, investigators concluded that Henry Lee Lucas was a suspect in the case. Lucas was a prolific serial killer known for confessing to several hundred murders, many of which he later redacted.

Identification was made possible with a DNA sample exhumed from the remains in 2019 and again in 2022, with help from North Texas University and dnasolve.com.

“This is a fascinating case study, a victim that was unidentified for so many years. Through the joint efforts of local law enforcement and the civilian population, private and non-profit agencies, there is a family that can rest in peace and there is an individual that is no longer an indigent person in a grave,” said Sergeant James Miller.

Miller spoke personally with the victim’s daughter, who was relieved but wished to remain anonymous.

More information to come later this week.