The remains were found on Richardson Road, near Lake Lemon in northeast Monroe County. Evidence at the scene led detectives to believe a homicide likely occurred.
Thanks to funding from the Monroe County Council, investigators partnered with Othram to get a forensic genealogy DNA exanimation that compared DNA of family members with those recovered during an investigation.
The remains were confirmed to be those of Steven Gabbard, of Louisville, Kentucky, who was 38 years old at the time he was reported missing by family members. Gabbard was last known to be in Indianapolis.
DNA from the remains of Gabbard were compared with his nephew, which confirmed the match.
Click here to read more on Gabbard’s missing persons case with the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System.
Read More: Skeletal remains positively identified from 2004 in Monroe County