Authorities have identified skeletal remains discovered in a wooded area of Pennsylvania as belonging to Christopher Story, a man who vanished suddenly and mysteriously nearly a decade ago.
Christopher Story was last seen around 11 p.m. on August 11, 2013, at his home in New Castle, Pennsylvania – a hamlet located approximately 50 miles north of Pittsburgh.
In 2013, the FBI released a missing person’s statement that read, “He was last seen donning a white t-shirt, khaki shorts, a dark cap, and black shoes.” “He left behind his wallet, phone charger, and medication.”
The FBI warned at the time of Story’s disappearance that he “has surgical pins/rods in his spine and may walk with a limp” and that, without his medication, he “may appear agitated, bewildered, or suffer hallucinations.”
However, the New Castle Police Department verified on Wednesday that human skeletal remains discovered in Taylor Township, less than five miles from where Story went missing, belonged to the man who had been missing for more than nine years.
Following the gruesome discovery, the New Castle Police Department stated, “The NCPD has continued to investigate this case aggressively in an effort to locate Chris Story and determine what happened to him.”
In the past few weeks, the Coroner’s Office, the New Castle Police Detective Bureau, the FBI, and K9 cadaver canines were able to recover the skeletal remains, according to authorities.
“After examining the remains and searching for specific medical characteristics and comparing X-rays, Coroner Richard “RJ” Johnson notified the detectives and New Castle Police that the remains belong to missing person Chris Story,” the NCPD confirmed Wednesday.
Police reported that the family of Story has been informed of the discovery and that their loved one has been located.
The investigation into what happened to Story and how he died is still ongoing and the coroner has not made a ruling on the cause or manner of death, the NCPD said in their statement released to the public on Wednesday.
Story’s remains will now be sent out to the FBI for forensic testing and police say they are still actively investigating his death.