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Officials: York skeletal remains found in May identified

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Update: Skeletal remains found off Goosley Road in York County May 19 have been identified, officials said.

The remains have been identified as Michael Andrew Ellis, a white male with a last known address in West Point, Virginia, the York-Poquoson Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook update Wednesday.

“The identification was made made based off of DNA and evidence recovered from the scene as well as additional follow up investigations by York-Poquoson Sheriff’s Office Investigators,” the post said.

The cause of death was determined by the Medical Examiner’s Office to be hanging, and the manner of death was determined to be suicide, the Facebook update said. Ellis was estranged from his family and had last seen a family member in 2012, according to the update. Ellis would have been 26 years old today.

Examiners were unable to determine an exact date of death, the Sheriff’s Office said. Ellis’ Virginia ID card was found near the remains, and additional evidence found at the scene supports the cause and manner of death, the update said.

Previously

Skeletal remains found in York County last month have been taken to a state lab for examination and possible family members have been located, officials said.

The human remains were found May 19 on Goosley Road between Leigh and Crawford roads, according to the York-Poquoson Sheriff’s Office.

Investigators believe the remains are those of a man between 18 and 25 years old, according to Troy Lyons, the investigations division commander for the sheriff’s office. Law enforcement found an identification card belonging to a white man at the scene. They also found some clothes, according to Lyons.

The remains were taken to the Central Laboratory Medical Examiner’s Office in Richmond and undergoing examination by the medical examiner’s staff and forensic anthropologists, sheriff’s office officials said in an update Thursday.

Investigators also located family members of the individual who the identification card belongs to and have collected a DNA sample for comparison to the skeletal remains, officials said in the update.

Investigators anticipate the DNA analysis will take 6 to 8 weeks to complete, officials said.

The sheriff’s office will not release the name of the owner of the identification card until the DNA analysis is completed and an official report has been received, the update states.

Anyone with information that can assist investigators is encouraged to contact the anonymous Crime Line at 1-888-LOCK-U-UP.

Previously, May 22, 2017

Police say skeletal remains found in York County are believed to be those of a young man.

The York-Poquoson Sheriff’s Office received a report regarding the potential discovery of human remains at approximately 6:30 p.m. Friday in the Goosley Road area.

Authorities confirmed the remains were human, and closed Goosley between Leigh and Crawford roads to investigate. The road remained closed well into Saturday afternoon.

While details are scant, authorities are treating the incident as a suspicious death, said Troy Lyons, the investigations division commander for the York-Poquoson Sheriff’s Office.

Investigators believe the remains are those of a man between 18-25 years old. The identity of the man is unclear, though an identification card belonging to a white man was recovered by law enforcement at the scene. Police also found some clothes, Lyons said.

Further details regarding the card and name won’t be released until a positive identification is confirmed by the medical examiner’s office, “which could take some time,” Lyons said.

Next of kin must be then notified before additional information about the identity is released publicly.

The remains aren’t believed to be related to any known missing person case — including the unsolved Colonial Parkway Murders, a cluster of possibly related disappearances and homicides that happened three decades ago — according to the sheriff’s office.

It’s unknown whether the man is a local resident. Investigators also haven’t determined if the remains show signs of trauma, Lyons said.

“There was no tissue found,” Lyons said.

The remains may have been at the location, a wooded area near a residential neighborhood, for several years.

There’s no timetable for when the investigation will be completed.

Jacobs can be reached by phone at 757-298-6007.