There are new developments in the case of a young woman found dead 40 years ago, whose identity remains a mystery.

A year ago WYMT featured the cold case involving an unidentified girl ... who was found stabbed to death on Pine Mountain in Harlan County in 1969. Now a researcher wants to exhume her body in order to find out who she is.

The mystery of who lies in the grave is drawing Todd Matthews' interest.

"I know a lot of the families of the missing and I know how bad they hurt and how much effort they put into it to find their missing loved ones, and usually it's because of something like this ... this one just fell through the cracks," says Matthews.

Newspaper reports from 1969 say a man picking flowers for his wife found the young woman's nude, badly decomposed body just off the Little Shepherd Trail. She had been stabbed in the chest.

"Just being here ... you definitely get the sense of sadness ... definitely would like to send her home," says Matthews.

The coroner at the time of the murder said the woman was just under 20 years old. She is not believed to be from Harlan County.

Matthews is a well known researcher with the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System, or NamUs. He believes the best way to find out who she is, is to dig up her remains, which could provide critical DNA evidence.

"I can't say we'll ever find who she is ... but at least we can apply modern technology to it ... and I know we can do that ... I know she'll be better off," says Matthews.

Darla Jackson wrote about the unidentified girl in her book Harlan County Haunts.

"40 years later ... there's hope ... I have this new sense of optimism ... I'm so pleased with the progress that is actually being made," says Jackson.

"40 years ... are we going to wait another 40 years? We have to do something now ... and I think there's enough people here that care ... I'm confident we can make this happen," says Matthews.

And maybe someday find out who lies in this grave.

Harlan County Coroner Phillip Bianchi says he's interested in helping with this. He says if he can gather enough information, he will go ahead and ask a judge as early as next week for a permit to exhume the remains.

You can find more information on the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System at: http://www.namus.gov/index.htm