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Exhumed: Killer Revealed Season 2 finale explored the case of Virginia "Ginger" Freeman, a 40-year-old Texan wife, mother, and real estate agent who was murdered in 1981. Released on June 26, 2022, the episode detailed how the tragic case of Virginia Freeman took over 35 years to solve.
Oxygen's true crime series, which examines murder cases that require unearthing victim's bodies for breakthroughs and clues in the case, covered the exhumation of the killer's body in the final episode of Season 2. James Otto Earhart, who was executed in 1999, was found to be the killer after his body was exhumed in 2018 and DNA analysed in 2019.
Exhumed: Killer Revealed Season 2, Episode 10: Unearthing a Killer
In the final episode of Exhumed: Killer Revealed Season 2, the true crime series explored an unusual plot twist as the killer's body was exhumed instead of the victim's. The 1981 cold murder case of Virginia "Ginger" Freeman took over 35 years to solve, but the killer had already been executed for another crime.
Advancements in DNA technology enabled the Brazos County Sheriff's Office to identify James Otto Earhart as the perpetrator who heinously murdered Virginia Freeman. DNA collected from underneath Freeman's fingernails was eventually used by a private lab called Parabon NanoLabs to help solve the case's unsolved mystery.
The Brazos County Sheriff's Department teamed up with the Texas Rangers Cold Case Task Force to reopen the investigation after it initially hit a dead end in 1981. The team obtained a partial license plate and revisited dozens of cases to find the killer. Their attention was caught by a possible lead – then 44-year-old James Otto Earhart, a former appliance repairman on death row.
Earheart was convicted of murdering 9-year-old Bryan girl Kandy Kirtland and was executed for the crime on August 11, 1999. He was also suspected of killing 51-year-old Ruth Richardson in 1986.
In 2018, with the help of Parabon NanoLabs, investigators used genealogy records to link Earhart to Freeman's murder. However, obtaining his DNA was a major obstacle because that would mean exhuming his body.
Earhart's son helped authorities get the necessary green light to move forward and his body was exhumed in 2018. However, his body was buried in a cardboard box instead of a coffin and was found disintegrated and completely skeletonized. Forensic scientists managed to obtain his DNA from a femur bone which was then analyzed at a lab in Austin.
In 2019, DNA obtained from Earhart's exhumed remains was found to match the DNA that was obtained in 1981 from Virginia's fingernails. The confirmation allowed the investigators to close the case after more than 35 years and justice was served. Although the killer could not be handcuffed or punished, the unearthed information brought peace and closure to Freeman's family.
Exhumed: Killer Revealed Season 2
Oxygen's true crime series Exhumed: Killer Revealed concluded its second season on June 26, 2022. The series, executive produced by Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos, revolves around investigators digging up the bodies of dead victims to spot clues, breakthroughs, and plot-twists that could ultimately solve the case.
Season 2 came to a close with the revelation of the killer in a case that remained cold for over 35 years. James Otto Earhart was identified as the killer in the 1981 murder case of Virginia Freeman.
