Indiana State Police Cold Case Detective Matt Busick arrested a Tennessee man Nov. 1 in connection with a 1996 rape reported in Scott County.
The investigation began Sept. 8, 1996 when then-Detective Delmar Gross (now a lieutenant in the investigative division) responded to a report from an adult female victim who stated she was raped after leaving the former Austin Lounge on North High Street in Austin with two men. According to the Probable Cause Affidavit, the rape reportedly occurred on the north side of Hardy Lake at a state-owned recreational pull off on Quick Creek Road.
The victim provided a name she believed belonged to her assailant. But subsequent DNA analysis has since confirmed that individual was not the perpetrator.
In June 2025, an Indiana State Police forensic scientist informed Lt. Gross that advanced DNA technology and techniques had identified a close genetic relative of the original suspect profile. Acting on this lead, Detective Busick conducted follow-up interviews and identified Sammy Wayne Riley, 53, of La Follette, TN—a former Scott County resident—as the suspect.
Working with the Scott County Prosecutor’s Office, Detective Busick collected additional DNA samples for analysis to support the case and then requested an arrest warrant for Sammy Riley.
On Oct. 29, a warrant was issued in Scott County for Riley’s arrest on one count of rape, a Level 1 felony.
Upon learning Riley had returned to Indiana for a family funeral, Detective Busick coordinated with the Scott County Sheriff’s Department for Riley’s arrest.
Sammy Riley was taken into custody without incident on Saturday, Nov. 1, and was booked into Scott County Jail at 12:17 p.m. charged with rape committed by using or threatening use of deadly force. Scott Circuit Court Judge Jason Mount set Riley’s bond at $250,000 full cash only.
The investigation involved collaboration with the ISP Cold Case Unit, the Indiana State Police Laboratory in Indianapolis, and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigations, and the Scott County Prosecutor’s Office.