Skeletal remains found in truck may be linked to 2008 missing person case

OWENSBORO, Ky. (WFIE) - Authorities say skeletal remains and a wallet recently found are believed to belong to Charles Haywood.

The 91-year-old Haywood was reported missing on July 31, 2008. On May 28, his vehicle was recovered from the Green River near the Spottsville Boat Ramp in Henderson.

Authorities say the vehicle was transported to the Owensboro Police Department, where investigators conducted a search Friday morning. During that search, skeletal remains were located inside the vehicle.

Investigators also located a wallet containing Haywood’s driver’s license.

All windows of the vehicle were still intact, the doors were closed, and right now, authorities do not suspect any foul play.

Investigators presumptively believe the remains are those of Haywood and have been in contact with his family. The remains have been transported to the Kentucky Medical Examiner’s Office in Louisville for further examination.

Positive identification is pending confirmation through DNA analysis and dental records.

Police say they are still trying to figure out how the vehicle ended up at the bottom of the Green River.

“Anything we can do at this point now that we have an ending location to try to backtrack,” says Lt. Chris Green, criminal investigation division supervisor for OPD. “However, with it being almost 20 years ago, video footage won’t be there. Cell phones weren’t present or around or most of them. So, we’ll do what we can to confirm how he ended up at that ramp. But right now it’s still unknown.”

The original detective assigned to the case never stopped trying to find Haywood after nearly 20 years.

“I knew he was out there somewhere,” says Nathan Godeke, detective for the Daviess County Sheriff’s Office. “I knew that eventually he’d be found. I knew that they’re just-- I thought that maybe a fisherman might see him on a sonar, you know, due to the fact that his vehicle was not found either. We had a-- it almost had to be underwater.”

He says it’s nice to finally have some closure on the case.

“It’s an amazing feeling to know that the family finally knows where he went. Where you know where his last day, where his last moments were because without that they would never known and so. I can’t imagine as a family member having that feeling about you know one of your loved ones and not knowing what happened to him and now they can finally know that,” Godeke said.