A man who was found burning in an abandoned boat in a field has been identified three decades after his death, the Weber County Sheriff’s Office announced Video from Monday, November 4.

Kevin Lynn Capps, 30, has been identified as the man who died under “suspicious circumstances” on April 16, 1992, in a field off I-15 in Ogden, Utah. Ogden is 40 miles north of Salt Lake City.

When authorities arrived at the scene in 1992, they saw the field on fire with a boat also engulfed in flames. A man’s body was in the boat, but it was “unrecognizable” and there were no personal items nearby to help identify the deceased.

An autopsy later revealed the victim was a man believed to be between 30 and 45 years old. Although his gender and age were estimated, he remained unidentified for more than 30 years, despite attempts by authorities to match the victim’s DNA and dental records.

After the case went cold for 32 years, WCSO formed the Weber Metro Cold Case Task Force to bring new insights and perspectives to long-unsolved cases.

The Utah Department of Public Safety funded the partnership with assigned detectives Othram Inc.a forensic genetic genealogy company, to implement advanced DNA testing.

Othram Inc. CEO and founder David Mittelman tells PEOPLE exclusively that the company used forensic genome sequencing for Capps’ case. Sequencing allows for analysis of evidence that “has historically been considered not good enough for testing,” Mittelman explains.

This is used with CODIS, a technology that creates DNA profiles to identify people. However, CODIS typically finds 20 DNA markers on human remains. When used in conjunction with forensic genome sequencing of Capps’ remains, CODIS found approximately 500,000 DNA markers.

Othram Inc. he received the skeletal remains and then about four to six weeks later, the DNA profile was created. From there, the team used the DNA markers to find relatives and continue the investigation.

“It took us weeks to get to an answer because there were decent matches in genealogical databases,” he says. “That’s why you have a case…that already has an answer.”

The investigative team also learned that Capps was survived by his 4-year-old daughter at the time, Chelsea LaRoe. She was informed of the news on 12 August 2024, a day she said “changed everything”.

LaRoe, now 36, lived her life believing her father had “abandoned” her.

“It made me sad and angry and full of questions,” she said in the WCSO video. She explained that learning of her father’s death gave her some closure.

“The day after I found out about Kevin, my mom and I went to the Ogden cemetery where he was buried in an unmarked grave,” she said, adding that she “will always be grateful to the detectives who helped in this case. .”

Anyone with information about the case and the circumstances leading to Capps’ death is asked to contact deputies at 801-778-6646.

Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for The free True Crime newsletter for PEOPLE for breaking news, ongoing trial coverage and details on exciting unsolved cases.

Representatives for the Weber County Sherrif’s Office did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for more information Wednesday.