10 things about US Army veteran Larry Eugene Parks from Oregon

Larry Eugene Parks was an American military man from Oregon, United States. It became the 33rd state of the country on February 14, 1859.

The capital city of Oregon is Salem. The city is the county seat of Marion County, Oregon.

Cold case investigators have identified a “John Doe” victim nearly 45 years after he was found dead along Interstate 5 near Woodburn, Oregon State Police said, helping bring closure to his family decades after his disappearance. https://t.co/XoQQMqoubM

— KATU News (@KATUNews) May 9, 2025

BIOGRAPHY

Parks’ remains were identified 45 years after he was found dead in Oregon. Here are 10 more things about him:

1. He was a resident of Marion County.
2. He was last seen alive in Pensacola, Escambia County, Florida, USA.
3. He was 5 years younger than Randy Steven Craft, who was born in Long Beach, Los Angeles County, California, USA.
4. He was born in 1950.
5. He served in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War, which started on November 1, 1955 and ended on April 30, 1975.
6. In 1979, his family lost contact with him.
7. On July 18, 1980, he was found dead near Woodburn, Marion County along Interstate 5 in Oregon but he was not identified and the case went cold.
8. In January 2024, the department of the Orange County, California sheriff contacted the Cold Case Unit of the Oregon State Police and offered to help identify his remains.
9. In April 2025, his remains were positively identified.
10. On May 9, 2025, the Oregon State Police announced that his remains have been identified.

On July 17, 1980, Michael O’Fallon was founded dead near the Talbot, Oregon exit along Interstate 5. Due to similarities in the evidence, investigators suspected the murders of Parks and Fallon were related.

In 1983, Kraft was arrested in Orange County. In 1989, he was convicted of 16 murders in California.

Officials believed both Parks and Fallon were also killed by Kraft. Evidence from the two men’s deaths was sent to Orange County for Kraft’s trial and sentencing and it remained there until January 2024.

To identify Parks’ remains, Parabon Nanolabs used a blood sample to develop a genetic profile and investigators tracked down possible relatives. He was identified after more deoxyribonucleic acid testing.