Marshall Co. Sheriff’s Office identifies victim of 1997 homicide

MARSHALL Co., Ala. (WAFF) - The Marshall County Sheriff’s Office identified the victim of a 1997 homicide case Wednesday afternoon.

On April 15, 1997, a body missing its head, hands and feet was found in a wooded area near Little Cotaco Creek just off Eagle Rock Road in Union Grove. Along with the missing head and limbs, the body appeared to have other mutilation which the Marshall County Sheriff’s Office says is consistent with forensic countermeasures.

The autopsy results found the manner of death was a homicide and the body parts were removed to make identification harder.

After the body was found, investigators worked to identify the person but were unsuccessful for nearly 26 years. The Marshall County Sheriff’s Office announced Wednesday that it has been able to identify the individual as Douglas Kimzy of California. Kimzy was 20 at the time of his death.

The identification was made possible through a DNA technology company named Parabon NanoLabs. In November 2019, the sheriff’s office contacted Parabon NanoLabs to help identify the DNA samples.

The sheriff’s office submitted its DNA sample material to Parabon on Dec. 10, 2019. With the help of Parabon, the Marshall County Sheriff’s Office was able to release a composite image of the victim in 2021. The hope was the sheriff’s office would receive new leads which it did, but none of the tips led to any useful data.

Although the Marshall County Sheriff’s Office has identified the victim, it has not been able to identify how Kimzy ended up deceased near the creek.

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