After nearly 40 years, a body found at a northwestern Indiana farm has been identified as the victim of a notorious serial killer.
The Newton County Coroner's Office identified the body as John Ingram Brandenburg Jr. of Chicago, the Associated Press reported.
Brandenburg was one of four bodies found at an abandoned farm at Lake Village on October 18, 1983. Two of the victims were previously identified as Michael Bauer and John Bartlett, but the fourth victim is still unknown.
They are all believed to be victims of Larry Eyler, who killed between 19 to 23 people but the real number is unknown.
Eyler was known as "the Highway Killer" who targeted teenage boys and men in their 20s from 1982 to 1984. He was known for leaving his victims' bodies in shallow graves near interstates and highway exits throughout the Midwest.
Eyler's killing spree came to an end when he was arrested and found guilty of murdering 16-year-old Daniel Bridges in 1984. The convicted killer received the death penalty but died in prison in 1994 from AIDS related complications.
Shortly before his death, Eyler confessed to nearly 20 other murders.
Now the family of one of his previously unidentified victims is able to get closure. Authorities identified Brandeburg with help from the DNA Doe Project, which finds victims' family members through DNA.
"While my heart breaks for this family, I'm thankful that they finally have some of the answers they’ve waited so long for, and I hope this brings them peace," Rebecca Goddard, a Newton County prosecutor, said in a statement Sunday.
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