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.
"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.
