For nearly eight years, she was known only as the woman under the bridge. Her remains, discovered beneath a bridge on Kentucky 32 in Morehead on Dec. 15, 2018, went unidentified through hundreds of tips, DNA leads and years of quiet community care. Now she has a name: Floy Denise Long, who was 65 when she died.
A Case That Defied Identification for Years
Long's remains were found along the Kentucky 32 bridge in December 2018, and officials were unable to identify her at the time, according to the Lexington Herald-Leader. She became known locally as the Bridge Lady as investigators worked the case for years without a break. An autopsy determined she died of natural causes, according to lex18.com.
Investigators pursued hundreds of leads from across the United States and even overseas, per a report from Fox 56 News. Lex18.com similarly reported that tips from across the United States and Europe were investigated. Part of what made the case so difficult, officials said, was that Long had never been entered into a missing persons database.
A Tip That Finally Broke the Case
The breakthrough came on Sept. 8, when Morehead Police Sgt. Alex Hamilton was contacted by a man who believed the unidentified woman might be his former sister-in-law, the Fox 56 News report states. Morehead Police Chief Josh Ison said at a news conference on Monday that this was the tip that ultimately led to identifying the remains, per the Lexington Herald-Leader. Hamilton had worked the case since 2018.
A family member told Hamilton the Bridge Lady was Long with 100% certainty, and Long's siblings provided historical background and a description that matched what investigators already had on file, according to the Herald-Leader. That information led investigators to Columbus Police Homicide Detective Terry McConnell, who located fingerprint records for Long dating back to the 1970s, the same report notes. The fingerprint was sent to the Ohio Attorney General's Office and the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation, which confirmed the remains belonged to Long.
Who Was Floy Denise Long
Long was born in Bardstown, Kentucky, and served in the U.S. Army, per the Fox 56 News report. Rowan County Coroner John Northcutt's office is now obtaining records detailing her military career, according to the Herald-Leader. Long previously lived in North Carolina, and her family occasionally traveled there to see her, but the last contact her family had with her was in 2003, the same outlet reported.
Long's family is from Reynoldsburg, Ohio. She lived in Morehead for at least two years and was homeless when she died, becoming a familiar and notable figure in the community. Morehead residents supported her by providing food, clothing and supplies when they could, according to the same Fox 56 News report.
A Community's Grief, and a Family's Decision Ahead
Hundreds of community members gathered for a funeral after her death, according to wkyt.com. Long was laid to rest in January 2019 at Forest Lawn Memorial Gardens in Morehead, the Fox 56 News account states, and her remains are still buried there. Her family is considering moving her remains for a local ceremony in Ohio but has not made a final decision.
At Monday's news conference, Hamilton said the identification gave Long's family closure, according to the Herald-Leader. Northcutt said the case being closed was a large relief. Both officials spoke as the years-long effort to give the Bridge Lady her name back finally came to an end.
