Watch CBS News

Remains Found In Kentucky ID'd As Michigan Man Missing Since 2004

MOREHEAD, Ky. (WWJ/AP) - Remains found in rural northeast Kentucky have been identified as those of a Michigan man reported missing a decade ago.

Rowan County Coroner John Northcutt told WKYT-TV in Lexington that a skull and other bones found earlier this month in the Daniel Boone National Forest are those of Thomas Ray James of Grosse Pointe, Michigan.

James was 50-years-old when he was reported missing in August 2004. Family members said James' left a relative's home that evening, never to be seen again.

James' abandon car was found at a rest area in Rowan County about three weeks after he was reported missing. The remains were found last Sunday about a mile from where James' car had been abandoned, police said.

Northcutt said the cause of death will be difficult to determine due to the extreme decomposition of the remains.

Grosse Pointe is more than more than 350 miles from where James' remains were found. It's not clear what he was doing in Kentucky when he disappeared.

TM and © Copyright 2014 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2014 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.