1998 Murder Suspect Identified Through Modern DNA Testing

MNPD Cold Case Unit Detective Curtis Hafley has positively identified the suspect involved in the 1998 murder of Carolyn Fisher, 41, through modern genealogy testing.

Fisher's body was found alongside I-40 East near the Jefferson Street exit on May 22, 1998. She was found to have been sexually assaulted prior to her death. DNA evidence collected from the scene was determined to be from the same male suspect, but no matches were reported for more than 20 years.

In 2020, Detective Hafley submitted the DNA to ancestry research databases, and a private genealogy research company discovered a potential match in 2023. The suspect, Michael Anthony Bean, 39, was murdered on June 23, 1998, unrelated to Fisher's death. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Laboratory tested Bean's DNA, collected by the Medical Examiner's Office, against the evidence from Fisher's homicide scene and determined it was a positive match.

Based on the DNA test results, it is not believed that anyone besides Bean was involved in Fisher's homicide.