CHEATHAM COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) — New research from high school students in Tennessee shows a single person could be responsible for a string of killings known as the “Redhead Murders.”

The bodies of multiple women with red or reddish-brown hair were found discarded along interstates in the mid 1980s. Many victims were found in Tennessee, including one in Cheatham County.

One murder is solved and four Jane Does are identified, but other victims in the so-called Redhead Murders remain a mystery, as does their killer or killers.

One Tennessee victim has no name.

Back in March of 1985, the remains of a red-haired female were found along I-24 West in Pleasant View in Cheatham County.

She had been there for a while until a driver stuck on the side of the road with car problems discovered her.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation told News 2 they are still actively trying to identify her, but they aren’t the only ones. Back in 2018, the first group of Elizabethton High School students and their teacher developed a profile of a serial killer who could be responsible.

In September, two high school juniors joined in.

“I would get back into it, okay, let me go research. How does that play into what the students already came up with?” said Alex Campbell, an Elizabethton High School teacher.

In 2019, TBI identified Jerry Leon Johns through DNA evidence as the suspect in a Campbell County case regarding Tina McKenney-Farmer.

The students now believe Johns is responsible for six murders and one attempted murder.

“I would want to know the truth and I would want to have that closure and peace of mind after so long,” said Elizabeth High School student Marlee Mathena.

Farmer’s autopsy revealed Johns had strangled her. Johns also died in custody in 2015.

The way the knots were tied and used in the killing was key in their investigation.

“The knots and the ligatures were definitely a big breakthrough because we were able to tie the knots in the Tina Farmer case to newly identified victims,” said Elizabethton High School student Reiley Whitsen.

The students compared that case to other victims, determining six others matched it by 90% or higher.

“Tina Farmer was really the linchpin of the entire case, and of course we already knew who the perpetrator was,” Campbell said.

The students presented their findings to FBI Behavioral Analysts and other criminal justice experts, who all agreed the suspect fit the profile of the other killings.

“It was really inspiring to be like, ‘Oh my gosh, we’re doing this, like this is real. This is a real case.’ It really clicked then, like I’m doing work to help people,” Mathena said.

Their next step is to continue their investigation into their senior year and try to put names on the two unidentified victims, including the Cheatham County woman.