Human remains found in 2004 near a southern Indiana lake have been identified as those of a long-missing Kentucky man, officials said.
The Monroe County Sheriff’s Department said the remains were positively identified as those of Steve Gabbard, a Louisville, Kentucky, man who was 38 when he was reported missing in 2002.
The remains were found in May 2004 by a turkey hunter near Lake Lemon, located near Bloomington just north of Yellowwood State Forest.
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The sheriff's department said the remains were positively identified after a private forensic laboratory, Othram, performed additional DNA extraction and genealogy work on them.
The department said Monday that a positive identification was made last week after Othram requested a DNA comparison of the remains with the DNA of Steven Gabbard’s nephew.
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Gabbard's relatives said he was last seen heading for Indianapolis on a blue Harley Davidson, WDRB-TV reported.
The sheriff's department said evidence recovered from the area where Gabbard's remains were found indicate that a homicide may have occurred.
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"An investigation regarding Gabbard by authorities in the Indianapolis area from this same time period indicated he may have been met with foul play," the department said in a news release.