CHRISNEY — Human remains found by hunters in far southern Indiana have been identified as those of a local man who was 40 when he vanished in 2018, state police said.
Two hunters who were searching for deer antlers alerted authorities Saturday that they had discovered skeletal remains they believed were human in Spencer County near the small town of Chrisney.
Indiana State Police announced Sunday that anthropologists had identified the remains as those of Donald Westfall Jr., using dental records.
Westfall was last seen on June 27, 2018, in Chrisney, several miles north of the Ohio River and about 80 miles (129 kilometers) west of Louisville, Kentucky.
State Police Sgt. Robbie Lambert said there will be a forensic examination in the coming days on the remains. Investigators said it’s too early to determine a cause of death or if there was foul play involved.
“I commend the hunters who came forward yesterday,” Lambert said Sunday. “I just can’t express how important it is to law enforcement to have the support of our communities.”
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