Mississippi Examiner’s Office DNA testing has confirmed the identity of the skull found back in August in a wooded area off of Sycamore Road.
Pearl River County Coroner Derek Turnage said the skull belonged to 48-year-old Michael Ray Adams, who had a last known address of 84 Sycamore Road. Adams’ DNA was on file in the Combined DNA Index System due to formerly being incarcerated. Turnage said.
Adams is also listed on the state’s sex offender registry.
The skull was found by a dog that lives in the area, who brought it home. Initial efforts to locate the body were unsuccessful, but in November, the same dog brought home a femur, allegedly from the same body as the skull. That discovery prompted a second attempt to locate the body in the woods. During the second attempt Bo, a bloodhound owned by the chief of the Pine Grove Volunteer Fire Department, led members of the Pearl River County Joint Search and Rescue Team to the remains.
Investigators secured the scene and recovered a large amount of skeletal remains along with some clothing and a wallet. While the wallet contained identification, investigators are waiting for conclusive DNA test results to determine the identity of the bones found in the woods. Turnage believes the DNA from bones found in the woods will match the DNA from the skull the dog brought home.
Previous coverage states that unofficial cause of death for the remains found in the woods is due to self inflicted hanging.