Victim in unsolved Fairhaven homicide case from the 1980s identified using DNA evidence

Crime

A skeleton found near I-195 in 1985 has been identified as belonging to Keith Olson of Cranston, Rhode Island.

Keith Olson’s remains have been identified as part of the Bristol County DA’s Unidentified Bodies Project. Keith Olson is pictured. Courtesy Bristol County District Attorney’s Office

In April 1985, a driver pulled over in the breakdown lane while traveling through Fairhaven, Massachusetts, on I-195. They spotted something in the brush about 45 feet from the road, and realized it was a human skeleton.

Today, after nearly 40 years of uncertainty, we know that the skeleton belonged to Keith Olson of Cranston, Rhode Island, according to a press release from the Bristol County District Attorney’s Office.

Olson’s remains were identified through the Unidentified Bodies Project, an initiative of Bristol County DA Thomas Quinn that aims to resolve cold cases — some of them decades old — using new technology and DNA evidence. Quinn’s office first announced the project last year.

The facial reconstruction produced from Olson’s skeleton in the 1980s. Courtesy Bristol County District Attorney’s Office

When Olson’s skeleton was found in 1985, law enforcement estimated he had been killed a few years earlier. They found evidence of trauma on his skeleton and ruled his death a homicide. Investigators determined from the remains that he was a white male, about 5’9” tall, but weren’t able to identify him using dental records. They asked the public for help, and even created a facial reconstruction from his skull in an attempt to estimate what he would have looked like when he was alive. But all of these efforts were in vain, and Olson remained anonymous for 38 more years.

Through the Unidentified Bodies Project, investigators from the Massachusetts State Police Unresolved Unit, the FBI’s Investigative Genetic Genealogy team, and the Texas-based Othram laboratory — which specializes in resolving cold cases — analyzed DNA evidence from Olson’s remains and were finally able to identify him.

According to the press release, Olson was last seen in April 1981 in his hometown of Cranston, Rhode Island. He was 27 years old at the time.

Before he disappeared, the DA’s office reports that he was dating a woman who had previously been involved with another man named John Broccoli, of North Providence. 

“Although Olson’s relationship with this woman was brief, it resulted in friction between Olson and [Broccoli],” the press release notes.

“A witness to Olson’s disappearance described that two men escorted Olson from his Cranston apartment,” the release continues. “On the same day that Olson was last seen, Broccoli made cryptic statements to the woman who had been dating Olson. These statements suggested Broccoli’s possible involvement in this matter.”

Broccoli — who also went by Michael Corleone (the name of the main character in the “Godfather” films) — died in 2019 at age 63, according to the DA’s office.

Investigators are now looking for leads from the public related to Olson’s disappearance and murder. According to the press release, police believe Olson was killed by “at least two people” and that “there are individuals who could provide helpful information to solve this crime.” 

Anyone with information should contact Massachusetts State Police Det. AnnMarie Robertson at 855-MA-SOLVE / 855-627-6583.