Human bones found near Statesville identified

Authorities have identified human bones found in woods west of Statesville on Dec. 31 as those of a man who went missing from his nearby home in 2006.

The N.C. Medical Examiner’s Office has ruled the death of Shane Lawrence McKinney a suicide, Iredell County Sheriff Darren Campbell said Friday. The Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed suspicions of sheriff’s detectives that the skull that was found had an exit wound consistent with a self-inflicted gunshot, Campbell said.

McKinney’s identity was confirmed through dental records, the sheriff said.

McKinney was 31 when he went missing from his home on Heathrow Lane. A property owner clearing land found the bones in the 300 block of Bethlehem Road, near Statesville Regional Airport.

When McKinney’s family reported him missing in 2006, they said he might be suicidal and have a handgun with him, Campbell said.

This story was originally published January 8, 2016 at 2:16 PM with the headline "Human bones found near Statesville identified."