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The skeletal remains found earlier this week in Shelby were those of Randolph “Bubba” Savage, police said Friday afternoon.
The identication of the bones puts to rest a missing-person case that had lasted nearly five years.
Savage was 74 when he was last seen Nov. 9, 2004. Witnesses saw him walking near Shelby High School that day.
On Monday, a skull and other bones were found on a dirt road in southeast Shelby, not far from where Savage was last seen. Police sent the remains to the State Medical Examiner's Office, which identified them Friday.
Newspaper accounts at the time of Savage's disappearance quoted family members as saying he had dementia and seemed confused on the day he went missing. Several searches have been conducted for him over the years.
Shelby police Chief Jeff Ledford said no foul play is thought to be involved, but he said the case will remain open until his department receives a final report from the medical examiner.
