Human remains discovered 31 years ago south of Indianapolis have been identified as a South Carolina man, authorities said.
Relatives of Michael Benjamin Davis said they had lost contact with him in the late 1980s, the Johnson County coroner’s office said.
In 1993, children found the remains in a field near Interstate 65 in what is now a golf course, in Greenwood, Indiana, according to Othrama lab that works with the police to help identify people.
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The remains were taken to the University of North Texas where Othram said the individual was determined to be a male under the age of 30 who stood between 4’10” and 5’4″.
“Despite extensive efforts by law enforcement investigators to identify the man, no matches were found, and the case went cold due to a lack of investigative leads,” Othram said.
Decades later, DNA testing and genealogy work helped researchers determine the identity of the remains, the medical examiner’s office said in a written statement Sunday.
“Although this case has long been suspected to have been a homicide, the cause and manner of death have been ruled undetermined unless more information is discovered,” the coroner said.
Davis was born in Richland County, South Carolina, in 1965 and would have been in his mid-20s at the time of his death. according to Othram.
Davis’ family plans to travel to Indiana to collect the remains and speak to the news media Thursday, the coroner said.