Remains found in DeKalb County in 1991 identified as Kentucky man

DEKALB COUNTY, Ala. (WAFF) - Skeletal remains discovered in DeKalb County in December 1991 have been identified.

According to the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office, an individual previously known as John Doe was identified as the 22-year-old Rainbow King of Tompkinsville, Kentucky.

King’s remains were originally found by a hunter in a wooded area near the intersection of County Road 51 and Alabama Highway 227.

The identity of the remains remained a mystery for years. In late 2022, the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office was contacted by a genealogy analyst who proposed using investigative genetic genealogy to identify the remains. That led to a collaborative effort between law enforcement and forensic experts that eventually helped identify the remains.

Last year, DNA samples were taken from the remains and sent to Intermountain Forensics, a non-profit laboratory in Utah, for analysis and whole-genome sequencing. The DNA data was uploaded to GEDMatch by Olivia McCarter and her team at Moxxy Forensic Investigations. A close familial match was then uncovered.

Investigators traveled to Kentucky to meet with the King family, and a DNA sample collected during the meeting conclusively confirmed the match.

“The identification of Rainbow Canyon King brings closure to a decades-old mystery and allows his family to finally lay him to rest. Our prayers and condolences go out to his family during this time,” said DeKalb County Sheriff Nick Welden.

Former DeKalb County investigator Mike James said King died by suicide.

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