GLASGOW, KY (WSMV) -
There is a new theory in a case that has baffled investigators for months.
It started after a woman's skeletal remains were found, and now Kentucky State Police investigators believe it's not only a murder but may also be a hate crime.
KSP said getting this victim's identity has been incredibly difficult because they only know part of her dental profile.
Officials are now trying to extract DNA at the University of North Texas, but with the wait for those results a long while away, they're hoping this new hate crime theory could bring some leads.
"It's been over a year, and we still have not identified the victim. We're wanting to generate more interest in the case, possibly to identify the victim. We're needing a break. We're needing some leads," said KSP Detective Chad Winn.
In August 2011, investigators searched near the Louie B. Nunn Cumberland Parkway in Barren County, trudging through a 100-square-foot radius where the remains of the shooting victim were found.
According to KSP, a group of college students were looking for a rare kind of tree close to Beaver Creek when they came across the remains. Police believe those remains could've been there for as long as 15 years.
"She could've been dumped there after the murder. We just simply don't know," Winn said.
Clues have been slow to emerge in the past year, but KSP officials have confirmed the victim to be a Native American woman between 5'8 and 6' tall, with fillings in her teeth and possibly wearing a string bikini with a flower pattern.
And in addition to being shot, police said the victim was also scalped, leading to the theory this could be a hate crime.
"Due to her ancestry - her being a confirmed Native American, and her being scalped - that is a possible theory. We only have theories until she's identified," Winn said. "Before we go forward with this case, we're going to have to identify the victim."
If you have any information, contact Kentucky State Police.
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