Keith Olson: Unsolved Mystery of a Missing Man Linked to Cryptic Statements and Human Skeleton Found 4 Years Later

Accident – Death – Obituary News : Olson was last seen in April 1981, and had been reported missing from Cranston, Rhode Island. At the time, he was a 27-year-old man who was dating a woman, and their relationship had caused tension between him and John Broccoli of North Providence. Broccoli, investigators revealed, had previously been involved with the same woman.

According to the office of Bristol District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn III, a witness to Olson’s disappearance informed investigators that two men had escorted Olson from his Cranston apartment. On the same day he went missing, Broccoli allegedly made cryptic statements to the woman who had been dating Olson, raising suspicions about his possible involvement in the matter. Broccoli, who also went by the name Michael Corleone, coincidentally sharing a name with the lead character from “The Godfather,” passed away in 2019 at 63 years old.

Four years after Olson vanished, on April 8, 1985, a driver traveling on Interstate 195 in Fairhaven, Massachusetts, made a startling discovery. The driver spotted a human skeleton just 45 feet from the roadway in a breakdown lane and immediately notified the police. Investigators conducted a thorough search of the area.

Examinations of the skeletal remains revealed evidence of trauma, leading authorities to classify the case as a homicide. The skeletal remains were sent to the FBI’s lab in Washington, D.C., where tests determined that the victim was approximately 5 feet 9 inches tall, a white male, and estimated to have been killed within a few years of the remains being found. Notably, the victim’s shoes were manufactured in 1981, adding a significant clue to the investigation.

However, identifying the body proved to be a challenging task. Dental records were unable to establish a positive identification for Olson. To seek assistance from the public, investigators created a facial reconstruction based on the victim’s skull, giving an approximation of what he may have looked like when he was alive. A portrait of the recreation was distributed to the media, as authorities sought the public’s help in identifying the remains.

Unfortunately, despite these efforts, the individual remained unidentified for the next 38 years. The case went cold until recent advancements in forensic technology provided a breakthrough. Through the Unidentified Bodies Project, an ongoing initiative in District Attorney Quinn’s office to identify human remains, a private laboratory in Texas and the Investigative Genetic Genealogy branch of the FBI collaborated to finally establish the identity of the skeletal remains.

Using forensic genetic genealogy, investigators compared Olson’s DNA to thousands of other profiles and managed to construct a family tree, leading to a positive identification. This important development has reignited the investigation into Olson’s disappearance and death.

Once again, authorities are turning to the public for any information related to Olson’s case. The Massachusetts State Police Detective Lieutenant Ann Marie Robertson can be contacted at 855-627-6583 with any relevant information that could help solve this crime.

The search for justice continues as police believe that the crime was committed by at least two individuals. They are hopeful that there are individuals who possess valuable information that could assist in bringing closure to this decades-old case..