Authorities seek new DNA evidence in decades-old Marion homicide case

FOX23 News at 9 p.m.

MARION, Ill., (KBSI) — The Marion Police Department exhumed the body of a woman killed in a 1987 homicide investigation Tuesday as authorities seek new DNA evidence using modern forensic testing techniques.

Police said the body of Ladonna Cooper, a 32-year-old mother of three who was killed in March 1987, was exhumed May 12 with assistance from the Carbondale Police Department.

According to investigators, the exhumation was conducted with the consent of Cooper’s family and authorized through a court order and approved disinterment permit.

Authorities said investigators are attempting to obtain DNA evidence that was not collected at the time of Cooper’s death. Police said advances in forensic technology and DNA testing prompted the renewed investigative effort.

The Williamson County Sheriff’s Office and Williamson County Coroner Dave McReynolds also assisted with the exhumation.

Officials described the investigation as a collaborative effort among multiple agencies as they continue working toward a resolution in the decades-old homicide case.

Anyone with information related to the case is encouraged to contact the Marion Police Department at 618-993-2124 or the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office at 618-997-6541.