Lexington police use DNA testing to reopen 1963 disappearance case of Barbara Lunsford, WKYT reports

Lexington police are using DNA testing as part of an effort to solve the 1963 disappearance of Barbara Lunsford, according to a WKYT investigation published Oct. 8, 2026. The report says investigators are applying modern forensic methods to evidence connected to the long-running case as they work to determine what happened more than six decades ago.

WKYT’s reporting describes the case as one that has remained unsolved for decades and frames the DNA work as a step in modernizing the investigative approach. While DNA testing is not a guarantee of an answer, it can allow investigators to match biological material to known profiles or identify whether evidence ties to other cases.

The investigation also highlights how advances in forensic science have changed the way law enforcement can evaluate older evidence. In many long-running missing-person matters, authorities revisit physical evidence, submit it for new testing procedures, or compare any results against updated databases and reference standards where available.

Lexington police have not publicly resolved the matter in the WKYT report, and no outcome from the DNA testing is described in the published article. The current focus, as described by WKYT, is on running tests that were not possible or practical at the time of the original disappearance and maintaining the case in an active investigative posture.

Missing-person cases can affect families and communities for years, especially when investigators lack answers that would bring closure. In cases dating to the early 1960s, limitations in recordkeeping, technology, and evidence handling can leave gaps that only more recent forensic tools can attempt to fill.

The WKYT report positions the DNA testing effort as part of a broader push by investigators to pursue leads in older cases using contemporary investigative practices. As the work proceeds, the practical next step is the completion of any DNA results and follow-on investigative actions that depend on what those results show.

For the Lunsford family and the wider community, the investigation underscores the continuing role of institutional review and evidence preservation in public safety, particularly when cases remain open long after the initial disappearance. If the testing produces identifying matches or clarifies the evidentiary record, law enforcement would then need to determine what, if any, additional steps are required to resolve the case formally.