DOUGLAS COUNTY, Mo.- Douglas County Sheriff Chris Degase says human remains found last weekend in a rural area belonged to a missing man from 2015.

During a press conference Thursday afternoon, on December 26, Douglas County deputies were called to an area east of Ava for potential human remains. Deputies confirmed they were human remains, contacted cadaver dogs. Sheriff Degase says it was obvious remains had been there for a long time; they were skeletal remains.

On Monday, December 27, deputies and the Missouri State Highway Patrol did an additional search and found a skull with teeth. With the help of a forensic orthodontist in Springfield, officials were able to positively identify Brandon Wood’s remains.

Back in 2015, deputies searched that same area and found nothing. Sheriff Degase said a construction development in the area produced the remains.

A suspect has been interviewed and was interviewed back in 2015 and 2016. The suspect has requested an attorney. Sheriff Degase believes there are multiple people who helped the suspect afterward and will be seeking charges for them as well.