Associated Press
Patricia Parker, who was 30-years-old at the time of her death, was identified by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation on Friday.
Last year, the FBI declared Little, now 80-years-old, the most prolific serial killer in the country. Little confessed to 93 murders – mostly of women – across the US between 1970 and 2005.
Parker’s body was found on September 28, 1981 in Dade County, Georgia, but her identity and killer had remained a mystery for nearly 40 years, The Atlanta Journal Constitution reports.
Special Agent in Charge Joe Montgomery said: ‘Since 1981, the GBI maintained an open investigation into these remains; however, over the years the case grew cold.’
Little is said to have confessed to killing a woman in Chattanooga and detectives began investigating his claims which led them to Parker.
After no cold cases matched Little’s account in Chattanooga investigators looked to the GBI’s regional office in Calhoun which led to the remains found in Dade County.
Montgomery added: ‘Little provided investigators with more details that led them to believe the remains found in Dade County were the woman Little had taken in Chattanooga and killed in Georgia.’
After a press conference asking for the public’s help the GBI said ‘a family came forward stating they believed the woman was their family member’.
They added: ‘DNA was obtained from family members and samples were sent to the GBI Crime Lab for comparison leading to the positive ID.’