Bones found in May in the chimney of an old bank in Abbeville have been identified as a man who has been missing for 27 years.
Abbeville police tell KATC-TV that the FACES Lab in Baton Rouge has identified the bones as those of Joseph W. Schexnider, who was 22 years old when his family last saw him in January 1984.
At the time, the Abbeville resident was wanted for possessing a stolen car, and when Vermilion Parish sheriff's deputies went to his home to arrest him for failing to appear in court, his mother thought he had taken off to avoid arrest.
She reportedly said she never reported him missing because she knew deputies were looking for him, and because he often left for long periods.
Police say nothing suggests foul play. Authorities say it is unclear why he climbed down the chimney. It appears he died from dehydration and starvation.
Abbeville police tell KATC-TV that the FACES Lab in Baton Rouge has identified the bones as those of Joseph W. Schexnider, who was 22 years old when his family last saw him in January 1984.
At the time, the Abbeville resident was wanted for possessing a stolen car, and when Vermilion Parish sheriff's deputies went to his home to arrest him for failing to appear in court, his mother thought he had taken off to avoid arrest.
She reportedly said she never reported him missing because she knew deputies were looking for him, and because he often left for long periods.
Police say nothing suggests foul play. Authorities say it is unclear why he climbed down the chimney. It appears he died from dehydration and starvation.