After 30 Years, Body Pulled from Mississippi River Identified as Missing Illinois Man | Crime Alert 6AM 10.14.25

A cold case that spanned more than three decades has finally been solved, thanks to new developments in DNA technology.

Authorities in Jefferson County, Missouri, confirmed that remains discovered in the Mississippi River in September 1994 have been identified as Benny Leo Olson, a man from Illinois. His body was recovered south of Festus and later buried in an unmarked grave in 1995, after investigators were unable to determine his identity at the time.

The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office credited recent forensic advancements for helping bring closure to the case.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Crime alert. I'm John Lemley. We began with a major
cold case solved. After nearly four decades. In Missouri, authorities
have finally identified a man whose body was discovered in
the Mississippi River south of Saint Louis back in nineteen
ninety four. The man was Benny Leo Olson from Edwardsville, Illinois,

(00:21):
a city just across the river. For more than thirty years,
he was known only as John Doe. His remains were
exhumed recently so new DNA samples could be taken. Investigators
say those samples, combined with fingerprints that had been on
file since an earlier incident, enabled officials to make the identification. Olson,

(00:43):
who would now be around seventy six years old, had
struggled with severe mental illness. He was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia,
and in nineteen eighty was charged in Illinois with trying
to hire someone to burn down his stepmother's house. He
was a found not competent to stand trial and treated

(01:03):
at a mental health facility. Importantly, though his identity has
been confirmed, investigators say there is no indication of foul
play in his death. Family members say the resolution brings
some closure. One of his half sisters Katherine Heston, reflected
that while they'd always suspected something had happened, they quote

(01:24):
never really knew.

Speaker 2 (01:25):
Thanks John for the latest crime and justice news.

Speaker 3 (01:28):
Go to crime online dot com and please join us
for our daily podcast Crime Stories.

Speaker 2 (01:33):
More crime and justice news after this.

Speaker 3 (01:39):
Now with the latest crime and justice breaking news, Crime
Online John Lemley.

Speaker 1 (01:44):
In suburban Chicago, a fatal confrontation involving immigration and customs
enforcement is during controversy and political debate in Franklin Park, Illinois,
just west of Chicago. Ice officers say they fatally shot
Silverio Vaugis Gonzales after he allegedly tried to evade arrest
by driving his car at officers, dragging one of them.

(02:07):
Both the suspect and the dragged officer were taken to
a hospital. The suspect was pronounced dead. This incident comes
as part of a broader enforcement campaign known as Operation
Midway Blitz, a federal effort to crack down in states
with sanctuary policies. Supporters say it's about enforcing immigration law.

(02:28):
Critics say it risks overreach and undermining trust in communities.
Illinois Governor JB. Pritzker has called for a full investigation.
Local immigrant rights groups are demanding transparency and to crying
what they view as excessive force. In New York City,
authorities have apprehended a suspect in a brutal double homicide

(02:51):
involving an elderly couple whose home was set on fire.
The victims, seventy six year old Frank Olton and seventy
seven years old Maureene Olton, were found dead in their
queen's home earlier this week. Mister Olton was tied to
a pole and stabbed. Missus Olton died in the fire,
severely burned. The suspect, forty two year old Jammel McGriff,

(03:14):
was arrested in Midtown Manhattan. Police were able to track
him through surveillance footage and reports that the couples stolen
credit cards had been used. McGriff is a parolee with
a long criminal record, including robbery convictions, and he failed
to register as a sex offender last year. Authorities also

(03:34):
report that McGriff entered the home under false pretense, asking
if he could charge his phone, and remained inside for
several hours before the deadly events. Our final story This Hour,
a decade's long mystery in New Hampshire has taken a
significant turn. Nearly twenty five years after four bodies were

(03:55):
discovered in Bearbrook State Park. One of the young girls
has now been identif as Rhea Rasmussen. The case is
tied to serial killer Terry Rasmussen, who died in prison
in twenty ten after conviction in a separate murder. He
used many aliases and targeted vulnerable women. Rhea's biological mother

(04:16):
has been identified as Pepper Red, who disappeared in the
late nineteen seventies and remains missing. Another woman, Denise Bodin,
also had long been connected to the case, but her
fate remains unclear. Investigators say this identification underscores the power
of genetic genealogy in solving cold cases, and they continue

(04:38):
to urge the public to come forward with any information
that might help resolve remaining questions.

Speaker 2 (04:44):
Thanks John for the latest crime and justice needs.

Speaker 3 (04:47):
Go to crime online dot com and please join us
for our daily podcast, Crime Stories, where we do our
best to find missing people, especially children, and solve unsolved homicides.

Speaker 2 (04:59):
With this crime, I'm alerd, I'm Nitty Grace,