A body found in 2011 on the side of a Kentucky interstate has been identified and is believed to be one of the many victims of the serial killer known as the truck stop killer.
The body was identified through DNA evidence by the Kentucky State Police as 31-year-old Carma J. Purpura of Indianapolis.
Police said in a news release Purpura would have been 35 when she was discovered on Aug. 15, 2011. She was reported missing July 11, 2007.
Her body was found off the shoulder of the Louie B. Nunn Parkway at the 8-mile marker. The case remains under investigation.
She's believed to be a victim of Bruce Mendenhall, 56, of Illinois. He was charged with her death and multiple others after the blood of at least 10 people were found in the cab of his truck in 2008.
Purpura's body had not been found when Mendenhall was charged with her death. Mendenhall is believed to be responsible for as many as seven truck stop killings in four states.
Prosecutors said Purpura was known to frequent truck stops and police found her identification in Mendenhall's truck.
