Remains found in Catawba County identified

The remains of William Pierre Mayfield, a Hickory man reported missing in September 2014, were found in woods off 15th Avenue SE Tuesday.

His death is being investigated as a homicide, Catawba County Sheriff Coy Reid said.

Reid said bones were found by a property owner picking blackberries around 2:15 p.m. Tuesday.

Mayfield’s family reported him missing in September under suspicious circumstances, Reid said. He said the North Carolina State Medical Examiner’s Office has not yet determined a cause of death.

A missing person flier from the Hickory Police Department said Mayfield was reported missing Sept. 24, 2014. He was 32 years old.

According to the flier, Mayfield was last seen about 1 a.m. Sept. 21 leaving the Total Convenience Market Shell Gas Station at 327 U.S. 70 SW. He was traveling in a small silver car.

Mayfield was believed to have attended a house party that night in the 900 block of South Center Street in Hickory, the flier said. It offered a reward for information leading to his whereabouts.

This story was originally published July 1, 2015 at 2:17 PM with the headline "Remains found in Catawba County identified."