On April 17, 1996, county engineers discovered a human skull in a wooded area off Highway 41 in Charlotte County, Florida. The remains were later identified as belonging to Kenneth Lee Smith, a 25-year-old male from Fort Myers. During the search for additional remains, authorities found the body of Richard Allen Montgomery, a 21-year-old male from Punta Gorda, who had been murdered approximately one day prior.
Kenneth Smith's body was found dismembered, with only the torso and pelvis recovered. His sister identified him through a tattoo that was still visible on his shoulder. The condition and location of Smith's remains, along with the discovery of other male victims in the area, led investigators to suspect a serial killer was active in the region. These cases became known as the 'Hog Trail Murders,' named after the wooded areas where the bodies were found.
The investigation eventually focused on Daniel Owen Conahan Jr., a 42-year-old male nurse from Punta Gorda. Conahan was arrested on July 3, 1996, and later convicted of the murder of Richard Montgomery. He was sentenced to death and remains on death row in the Florida State Prison. While Conahan was not formally charged with Kenneth Smith's murder, authorities consider him a suspect in that case and several others linked to the Hog Trail Murders.
