Mysterious remains discovered in a wooded area of New Hampshire 32 years ago have finally been identified, according to an announcement from the State Attorney General’s (AG) office.
The remains of then-78-year-old Benjamin Adams, who went missing after going on a walk in June 1991, were located in 1996 but went unidentified for nearly three decades, per the State AG’s office press release. Adams’ family claimed he suffered from dementia.
Investigators were able to reach Adams’ son and obtain access to a sample of his DNA. (RELATED: Democratic New Hampshire Rep Reportedly Calls Parents ‘Incompetent’, Urges Them To ‘Shut Up’ Over Education)
“That sample, along with certain skeletal remains, were then sent to a private contract lab for DNA comparison testing. The lab, Bode Technology, confirmed the probability of relatedness is ‘at least 99.999998%’ and the DNA evidence is ‘at least 42 million times’ more likely to be from “a biological parent as compared to untested and unrelated individuals.”
Initially, in 1996, a hunter discovered Adams’ remains in a wooded area of Hanover, New Hampshire, according to the news release. Officials reportedly searched the area and recovered additional human bones believed to be Adams’. The recovered remains were referred to an out-of-state forensic anthropologist for examination.
“That examination indicated that the biological characteristics were not inconsistent with those of Benjamin Adams, but a positive identification could not be made, ” the news release noted.
The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner is now working with Mr. Adams’ surviving family to return his remains to them, according to the Attorney General’s Office.
A collaborative effort from the New Hampshire Cold Case Unit and the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) solved the mystery