On Tuesday – a contractor doing work on a home near Mentone discovered human remains in a wooded area off of County Road 948.

The DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office was immediately notified and began an investigation – with additional remains being located by investigators later that same afternoon.

DeKalb County Investigators were later assisted in a thorough search of the area by several agencies including the Center for Applied Forensics at Jacksonville State University, DeKalb County Deputies, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, Mentone Police Department, Ft Payne Police Department, the Alabama Department of Game & Fish, Alabama Department of Pardons & Paroles, Fischer Rescue Squad, DeSoto Rescue Squad, and the Mentone Fire Department.

After an examination of the remains, it’s estimated they are several years old. While official confirmation from medical examiners is pending, investigators believe that they know the identity of the individual.

The remains are believed to be a male subject from Rome, Georgia that went missing in the area during the summer of 2016.  The remains have been transported to the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences in Huntsville for examination.

We’ll have more information as its made available.