BODY OF SUSPECTED KILLER EXHUMED

  

Investigators have exhumed the body of the convicted killer they believe was also responsible for a Brazos County murder nearly 40 years ago.

Wednesday, the body of James Otto Earhart was exhumed from his grave Huntsville.  Authorities believe Earhart brutally murdered real estate agent Virginia Freeman in Brazos County, back in 1981.

Researchers exhumed Earhart’s body in order to retrieve a tissue sample, so they can compare Earhart’s DNA with DNA found under Freeman’s fingernails.

Investigators say they believe Freeman's case may be just the tip of the iceberg for cold cases across the country.

Earhart was executed by lethal injection in 1999 for the murder of a 9-year-old Bryan girl. His DNA was never collected while he was a prison inmate.