FBI, Indiana State Police Identify 'I-65 Killer'

Investigators used genetic genealogy to uncover the identity of a serial killer responsible for murders along Interstate 65 in Indiana and Kentucky in the late 1980s and early '90s.

April 6, 2022

The FBI and Indiana State Police have identified the "I-65 Killer," a serial killer responsible for at least three murders and a sexual assault in Indiana and Kentucky in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

During a Tuesday news conference in Indianapolis, officials revealed that Henry Edward Greenwell was the man who committed those crimes, The New York Times reports. He had served at least two prison sentences stemming from violent crimes in Iowa and Kentucky, and he died at 68 in 2013.

“I hope that today might bring a little bit of solace to you, to know that the animal that did this is no longer on this earth,” Douglas G. Carter, Indiana State Police superintendent, told the victims’ families.

Investigators got a break in the case thanks to genetic genealogy testing. That was used to match Greenwell's DNA to ancestry records, although law enforcement officers would not expand on how it was accomplished.

Authorities suspect that Greenwell could have committed other murders, rapes and violent crimes in the Midwest. Those possibilities are still being pursued by investigators.

“The message is: You might be able to hide for a while, but we’re going to find you, even if you’re not here,” Carter said.