Human remains identified as man missing nearly 2 years, NC cops say. Mystery lingers
Human remains found in a patch of woods were identified as a man missing for more than a year, fueling a lingering mystery in North Carolina, officials said.
Steven Tyler Tuttle was 32 years old when he vanished near Hinshaw Country Road in Liberty, roughly 60 miles west of Raleigh. He was last seen on May 31, 2021, almost two weeks before he was reported missing.
The Randolph County Sheriff’s Office, which asked the public for help in a missing person’s poster, wasn’t able to track down Tuttle.
“Multiple locations were searched during this investigation but investigators were unable to locate Steven Tyler Tuttle based on the information provided,” deputies wrote in a news release.
The case gained steam on Feb. 8, when officials were called to a report that someone walking in the woods stumbled upon human remains. The discovery was made near Shady Grove Church Road in Staley, about 5 miles south of the area where Tuttle was last seen alive.
“The Randolph County Sheriff’s Office responded and recovered the human remains along with identifying articles. The remains were then sent to the State Medical Examiner’s Office,” which on Feb. 14 confirmed that the deceased person was Tuttle, deputies wrote.
After the confirmation of Tuttle’s death, mystery lingers in the case.
“The cause of death is undetermined at this time and the case is still under investigation,” the sheriff’s office wrote.
Deputies didn’t share Tuttle’s hometown or additional details surrounding his disappearance with McClatchy News on Feb. 15.
This story was originally published February 15, 2023 at 2:21 PM with the headline "Human remains identified as man missing nearly 2 years, NC cops say. Mystery lingers."
