Skeletal remains found in Pennsylvania identified as man missing for a decade
Human skeletal remains recently discovered in western Pennsylvania have been identified as a man from New Castle who went missing nearly ten years ago, authorities announced this week.
Christopher Story was 40 years old at the time of his disappearance, according to a missing persons report filed a decade ago by the FBI. He was last seen at his home around 11 p.m. on August 11, 2013, the report says.
"The NCPD has continued to aggressively investigate this case since that date attempting to find Chris Story and determine what happened to him," the New Castle Police Department said in a Facebook post shared on Wednesday.
Almost a decade after his disappearance, Story's remains were found in a wooded area in Taylor Township, which is less than five miles away from the Mahoningtown neighborhood where he lived, New Castle police said. The Lawrence County Coroner confirmed his identity, the police department said.
Detectives at the New Castle Police Department worked to recover the skeletal remains over the last several weeks, with help from the coroner's office as well as K9 cadaver dogs and the FBI, officials said.
"After examining the remains and looking for certain medical characteristics and comparing X-rays, Coroner Richard 'RJ' Johnson notified the detectives and New Castle Police that the remain are those of missing person Chris Story," the police department said. The announcement noted that Story's family "has been notified of the findings and that their loved one has been found."
The coroner has not yet determined a definitive cause or manner of death, police said. The detective bureau's investigation into Story's death and disappearance is active and still ongoing, they said, and Story's remains will be sent to the FBI for forensic testing.
Federal investigators say Story was last seen wearing a white t-shirt, khaki shorts, a dark baseball cap and black shoes. In its missing persons report, the FBI wrote that he "left behind his wallet, phone charger, and medication."
At the time of his 2013 disappearance, the FBI noted that the man "has surgical pins/rods in his spine and may walk with a limp" and "may appear agitated and may also appear confused or suffer hallucinations" without access to his medication.