Remains found in Caddo County in 1995 identified

LAWTON, Okla. (KSWO) - A woman whose remains were found partially buried in Caddo County in 1995 has been identified.

The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation announced Friday that the remains were identified as 20-year-old Katrina Bentivegna of Midwest City.

Her DNA was submitted to Parabon Nanolabs in March 2021 by the OSBI Cold Case Unit.

After OSBI agents were made aware of the discovery, they notified Bentivegna’s family.

“We are thrilled to be able to reunite Katrina with her family,” said OSBI Director Ricky Adams. “While it took 27 years to be able to deliver the news, we never stopped working to identify Katrina. We pursue all options available at the time for victims and sometimes we have to wait for technological advances like forensic genetic genealogy. The first step in cases like this is to identify the victim. Now we continue our pursuit of justice for Katrina.”

According to OSBI, Bentivegna’s body was found dismembered near Route 66 and Highway 281 in Caddo County on April 24, 1995. Investigators said her feet, hands and head had been removed from her body. A skull was found a year later that was confirmed to belong to the body through DNA comparison.

Bentivegna was originally from Colorado and arrived in Oklahoma in the summer of 1993 according to investigators.

If you have any information in the case, you are asked to call OSBI at 800-522-8017 or email them at tips@osbi.ok.gov.