In 1984, a man in a pinstripe suit was found shot dead in Missouri. DNA identified him as a missing realtor.

After nearly four decades, a cold murder case in eastern Missouri has been solved with DNA evidence. Lincoln County authorities announced this week that a DNA match identified the victim as Jack Langeneckert, 50, a real estate agent in the town of Florissant, St. Louis County.

Langeneckert was reported missing in 1982, and officials said shortly after his disappearance that his vehicle was found at the St. Louis airport. The body was found wearing a pinstripe suit and tie in 1984. The victim had been shot in the back of the neck.

Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office officials told a news conference Wednesday that forensic genetic genealogy led to the identity of the victim. The technology identifies DNA by comparison with genetic profiles in genealogical databases.

The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office said it has partnered with Southeast Missouri State University and Othram Inc., a Texas-based forensic DNA sequencing company, in an effort to solve the problem. cold case. The university’s anthropology students “inventoried the remains and were able to refine the estimate of the age at death and other aspects of the biological profile”.

DNA was extracted from the remains and Othram was able to generate new leads, which were given to investigators. Eventually, detectives were able to meet, interview, and ultimately obtain familial DNA samples that ultimately confirmed the homicide victim was Langeneneckert.

Captain David Hill said detectives were working to determine who killed Langeneckert, whose body was found on a farm on June 11, 1984.

“While the cause of death is known, the reason for the homicide is not,” the sheriff’s office said in a news release Thursday. “Through cooperation between public and private partners, we are able to achieve justice for Jack and his family.”

Anyone with information related to the case is asked to contact the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office at (636) 528-8546.