Rickey Leslie Death, Obituary – Rickey Allen Leslie was identified as the individual whose body was found in 2006 on the shoulder of northbound Interstate 65 east of Elizabethtown, Kentucky. This identification was made possible by the DNA Doe Project as well as the Hardin County Coroner’s Office. It was thought that he had passed away due to natural causes many weeks before he was discovered without any identification.
“When resources are limited, it can be challenging for smaller jurisdictions to determine which cases should take priority. Although the Department of Justice and the FBI are able to offer assistance in investigations that involve criminal activity, they are unable to do so in situations in which the cause of death of an unidentified person is unknown, natural, or accidental “a statement made by the DNA Doe Project in a Facebook post regarding the investigation read.
The Hardin County Coroner’s Office made contact with the DNA Doe Project in 2021 in order to ask for assistance in identifying the guy, and they also provided a biological sample from the man’s remains to the lab in order to have it processed. Following a period of seven months while undergoing extensive and specialized laboratory testing, volunteer investigative genetic genealogists got to work on identifying the man by conducting an analysis of his DNA matches and constructing a family tree for him.
“We had some issues in this case—a bit of pedigree collapse—but we had a fantastic team that came together to overcome them,” said the leader of the team, Rhonda Kevorkian. “We had a great team that came together to overcome them.” “If you follow the hints carefully, you’ll eventually piece everything together in the way that makes the most sense.”
According to the leader of the team, Tracie Boyle, “We had a male DNA match who was also a fair sized X-match, and since two guys may only match through the X-path on their maternal lines, this was a huge help in this case.” “Once we had a candidate and could check that the X-path lined up, that helped strengthen our findings,” said one of the researchers.
Despite the difficulties, the team was able to identify Ricky Allen Leslie as a probable candidate by the middle of July. His identification was confirmed by local authorities using a DNA match to a member of his family, and the situation is currently under investigation. Prior to his passing, Leslie called Elizabethtown his home. His last known residence was located in close proximity to the spot where his body was discovered.