Skeletal remains found Sunday have been identified as those of a Poplar Bluff, Mo., man who has been missing for more than two years.
At about 11:30 a.m. Sunday, a citizen reported having "stumbled upon what appeared to be human remains" in a remote area near County Road 553, according to Butler County Sheriff Mark Dobbs.
"We arrived, and we processed the potential skeletal remains; we are confident they are most likely an adult male," Dobbs said. " ... The remains were found just outside a small creek, which coincidentally is less than a mile from where Tyler Russom went missing.
"(The location) also fits the direction of travel as to where he was last seen."
Tyler Scott Russom was last seen in the woods about one-quarter of a mile northwest of his father's residence on County Road 553, which is located off of Highway T.
At the time the 22-year-old was last seen, he was about 60 yards out in the woods on the north side of County Road 553.
"I was able to get his dental records from an appointment he had in 2013," said Butler County Coroner Andy Moore, who went and spoke with the Dexter, Mo., dentist.
That dentist, Moore said, had performed a dental procedure on Russom in 2013 and was able to "confirm that it was Tyler Russom."
Authorities, Dobbs said, had sought to first match the remains to Russom given the location they were found.
According to earlier reports, at about 7 a.m. on June 5, 2015, Russom had been riding in a vehicle with two other people.
"These two people he hitched a ride with ran out of gas" as they were driving westbound on the county road, about one mile off of Highway T, Dobbs earlier said.
Russom was reported missing three days later by his mother, Stacy Goodson.
"The last people to see him said he was highly under the influence of drugs," Dobbs said. "From what they described, it's very possible he had a near fatal amount of drugs (in his system) when he took off through the woods."
There is no evidence, Dobbs said, that supports the fact Russom "ever made it out of those woods alive."
The area where the remains were found, according to Dobbs, is probably about a quarter to half mile beyond an area where officers previously had canvassed in their search for Russom.
Since the remains were found, "it's been a project for the last several days trying to completely process the scene and gather as much information as we can," Dobbs said.
Cadaver dogs, he said, assisted in an extensive search of the area on Tuesday.
"Thus far, there are no obvious defects to the bones that would readily indicate foul play," Dobbs said. "We don't rule anything out, but the evidence at this point does not indicate that."
Since Russom was reported missing, officers have conducted numerous searches.
"We have covered so many woods, been in a river in Success; we went as far as Arkansas" searching, said Chief Deputy Wes Popp. "I've been to Wayne County through all this, following all these tips."
Dobbs agreed, adding his department has spent many man hours and resources on the investigation.
Dobbs said on the morning Russom was last seen in the woods, he had been trying to elude officers when he got the ride.
Russom, according to earlier reports, allegedly had been involved in a burglary or was "providing the vehicle."
During the early morning hours of June 5, 2015, Investigator Randle Huddleston said earlier, Deputy Lacy Gipson was on patrol on County Road 560 when he "drove up on Tyler," who had the hood and trunk up on a vehicle on the parking lot of Scooter Valley Flea Market.
When Gipson approached him, Russom reportedly identified himself by his brother, Cody Russom's name.
Huddleston said Russom told Gipson his girlfriend was at the nearby Lake Road Grocery, and he needed a ride to her because his car was broken down.
Gipson, Huddleston said, took Russom to the store, where he dropped him off, and then returned to the car.
Huddleston said Gipson subsequently saw a man, carrying suitcases, walking toward the vehicle.
When Gipson contacted the man, "he drops the stuff and takes off running," said Huddleston, who indicated the suitcases contained items allegedly stolen from a nearby residence.
Gipson subsequently determined the individual he had been in contact with was Russom, not his brother.
When Gipson returned to Lake Road Grocery, Russom was gone, having caught a ride with the two people, who apparently were the last to see him.