Remains found 29 years ago near Charlotte stadium ID'ed as woman last heard from in 1991

USA Today

08-04-2025

Remains found 29 years ago near Charlotte stadium ID'ed as woman last heard from in 1991
Remains found in a wooded area in North Carolina nearly 30 years ago have been identified as those of a woman last heard from in 1991, police announced Friday.
The remains of Betty Jean Benton, which sat unidentified for nearly 30 years, were found on July 18, 1996 near what's now called Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte.
Benton's family last heard from her in February 1991, when she said she was in North Carolina. Family members in 1992 reported her missing out of Louisiana, her home state, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department said. Benton's remains were found four years later, when she would've been about 42 years old.
The remains were taken to the Mecklenburg County Medical Examiner's Office, where officials determined the victim was female, police said in the news release. Officials ruled her death a homicide but detectives were unable to find out who she was. It wasn't until officials submitted remains for genetic testing in 2024 that Benton was identified soon after.
Using DNA to identify slain woman
To identify Benton, detectives tried a new approach in 2022 and sent the woman's remains to Raleigh for an osteological examination by a forensic anthropologist, police said in the news release. The team also sent bones to Othram Labs in Texas for advanced DNA testing.
The team's first attempt to get DNA wasn't successful due to the condition of the woman's remains, police said. But in 2024, the Mecklenburg County Medical Examiner's Office sent more bones to Othram Labs for another DNA extraction, police said.
Othram Labs was able to get a genetic profile this time around, police said. Investigators then loaded the woman's profile into two consumer genealogy databases that work with law enforcement, GEDmatch and Family Tree DNA.
Authorities then worked with the Ramapo College of New Jersey, where genetic genealogy research allowed the center to identify the victim as Betty Benton.
Detectives were able to contact her family, who let them know she hadn't been heard from since the early 1990s. They compared the woman's DNA to a DNA profile from a family member, confirming the remains belonged to Benton.
Who was Betty Jean Benton?
Benton was born in Louisiana on Feb. 27, 1954, police said. Although she spent most of her life in Chicago, she told family in February 1991 she was in North Carolina.
Despite searching, detectives weren't able to find any record of her being in North Carolina prior to the discovery of her remains.
The police department's next task is finding out what Benton was doing during the last few years of her life. Authorities ask that anyone who had contact with her in North Carolina contact detectives at [phone].
According to Charlotte police, the department's cold case unit still has nine other victims to identify, with remains having been discovered as early as 1932.
Saleen Martin is a reporter on USA TODAY's NOW team. She is from Norfolk, Virginia – the 757. Email her at [e-mail].