After 30 Years, Body Pulled from Mississippi River Identified as Missing Illinois Man | Crime Alert 6AM 10.14.25
Crime Stories with Nancy Grace
iHeartPodcasts and CrimeOnline
4.2 • 8.1K Ratings
🗓️ 14 October 2025
⏱️ 5 minutes
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Summary
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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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Crime Alert, I'm John Lemley. We began with a major cold case solved after nearly four decades. |
| 0:07.9 | In Missouri, authorities have finally identified a man whose body was discovered in the Mississippi River |
| 0:13.7 | south of St. Louis back in 1994. The man was Benny Leo Olson from Edwardsville, Illinois, a city just across the river. For more than 30 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 |
| 0:39.0 | incident enabled officials to make the identification. Olson, who would now be around 76 years old, |
| 0:46.2 | had struggled with severe mental illness. He was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, |
| 0:51.5 | and in 1980 was charged in Illinois with trying to hire someone |
| 0:56.8 | to burn down his stepmother's house. He was later found not competent to stand trial and |
| 1:03.0 | treated at a mental health facility. Importantly, though his identity has been confirmed, |
| 1:08.9 | investigators say there is no indication of foul play in his death. |
| 1:13.4 | Family members say the resolution brings some closure. One of his half-sisters, Catherine Heston, |
| 1:19.9 | reflected that while they'd always suspected something had happened, they, quote, never really knew. |
| 1:25.9 | Thanks, John. For the latest, Crime Injustice News, go to crimeonline.com, and please join us for our daily |
| 1:31.6 | podcast, crime stories. |
| 1:33.4 | More crime and justice news after this. |
| 1:39.3 | Now with the latest crime and justice breaking news, crime online's John Limley. |
| 1:43.7 | In suburban Chicago, a fatal confrontation involving immigration with the latest crime and justice breaking news. Crime Online's John Limley. |
| 1:49.6 | 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, |
| 1:56.5 | ICE officers say they fatally shot Silvio Villegas Gonzalez after he allegedly tried to evade |
| 2:03.1 | arrest by driving his car at officers dragging one of them. Both the suspect and the dragged |
| 2:09.3 | officer were taken to a hospital. The suspect was pronounced dead. This incident comes as part of a |
| 2:16.1 | broader enforcement campaign known as Operation Midway |
| 2:19.8 | Blitz, a federal effort to crack down in states with sanctuary policies. Supporters say it's |
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