Crews clearing trees find skeletal remains of man missing since 2017, SC coroner says
Crews were clearing trees along a South Carolina interstate when they found the skeletal remains of a man last seen five years ago, officials said.
The remains were identified as David Wayne Oakley, who was reported missing in June 2017. The report was made days after his car was spotted near mile marker 30 on Interstate 85 north, according to the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office.
Oakley’s disappearance was a mystery until this week, when officials said transportation workers stumbled upon skeletal remains close to mile marker 29.
“The remains were found in a wooded area near the interstate and appear to show no signs and/or indication of foul play,” the Anderson County coroner’s office said in a news release.
Deputies responded to a call about the discovery at about 9 a.m. Jan. 25, and officials as of that evening said an investigation was ongoing.
When he vanished, Oakley was 37 years old. He was from Anderson, roughly 30 miles southwest of Greenville.
He was last seen at a home near Concord Road in Anderson on May 31, 2017, officials wrote in a Facebook post around the time of the disappearance. Deputies announced a $500 reward for information about the case, which the Anderson Police Department reportedly also handled.
“According to a sheriff’s report, Oakley’s girlfriend tried to reach him on his cellphone several times,” the Anderson Independent Mail reported. “She also said that the phone’s voicemail greeting has been changed to Spanish.”
This story was originally published January 26, 2022 at 11:40 AM with the headline "Crews clearing trees find skeletal remains of man missing since 2017, SC coroner says."
