Body of prime suspect exhumed in KY cold case, one day shy of the 30-year mark

Kentucky State Police confirm Marty Dill's body was exhumed this morning, and DNA was collected for testing in the Heather Teague case.

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Kentucky State Police have exhumed the body of Marty Dill, the prime suspect in the 1995 disappearance of Heather Teague, to collect DNA evidence in the nearly 30-year-old cold case.

The exhumation took place Monday morning, according to Kentucky State Police. According to police, Dill took his own life on September 1, 1995, just one week after 23-year-old Teague vanished from Newburgh Beach in Henderson County.

Why now?

The DNA collection comes as recent developments have brought renewed attention to the case. Teague's mother, Sarah Teague, has spent three decades fighting for answers and alleging that authorities mishandled the investigation from the beginning.

For years, Sarah Teague has maintained that Marty Dill could not have been responsible for her daughter's abduction, citing evidence that he was bald at the time of the crime despite witness descriptions of a suspect with "dark bushy hair and a beard."

The exhumation represents a significant development in a case that has been marked by controversy over evidence handling, witness testimony, and DNA testing delays.

The original case

Heather Teague disappeared on August 26, 1995, while sunbathing at Newburgh Beach, on the Ohio Riverbank in Henderson County, KY. A witness across the river reported seeing a large man with dark hair and a beard take her from the beach. Teague's bathing suit top was found in a nearby wooded area, but her body has never been recovered.

Dill became the prime suspect after his father's white Ford Bronco was identified through video footage from the area. He died during a police standoff at his home one week after Teague's disappearance.

Recent DNA developments

The exhumation comes amid ongoing issues with DNA evidence in the case. Teague's bathing suit bottoms, found in a wooded area near the beach, were only sent for DNA testing in 2022, 27 years after the crime. That testing was halted in 2023 when the FBI allegedly intervened, and the evidence was moved to a different laboratory.

Sarah Teague has repeatedly called for DNA testing that could definitively link or exclude Dill as a suspect.

Family response

Sarah Teague notified me of the new development. She has previously stated that she believes DNA evidence will prove Dill's innocence and expose what she calls a cover-up by law enforcement.

The exhumation marks a dramatic turn in a case that will reach its 30th anniversary tomorrow.

What's next

It's unclear how long DNA analysis of the remains will take or when results might be available. Kentucky State Police have not provided additional details about the exhumation or the current status of the investigation.

This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.

The Heather Teague case remains one of Kentucky's most high-profile unsolved disappearances. Anyone with information is asked to contact Kentucky State Police, Post 16.

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