CLENDENIN, W.Va. — DNA evidence has helped identify a set of human remains discovered 12 years ago in Kanawha County.
The Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office announced Tuesday the state Medical Examiner’s Office has confirmed the remains are those of Jeffery Allen Blake, 49.
KCSO spokesman Sgt. Jeremy Burns said the discovery was made along the Elk River just off of Reamer Road near Clendenin.
“We found the human remains back in 2014 by the river. Someone who was walking their dog at the time and they contacted us,” Burns said. “We went to scene and were able to excavate the remains from the muddy river bank. We’ve been waiting for a while to find out who this was.”
Blake was identified using DNA through the University of North Texas Center for Human Identification.
Burns said Blake had some ties to Moundsville.
“We’ve actually spoken to some family members, they didn’t have any type of relationship with Mr. Blake. Right now we’re trying to find out why he was in the Clendenin area,” Burns said.
Burns said several key questions remain unanswered.
“We don’t why he was in the Clendenin area. We’re still working on how he became deceased. We could be looking at natural causes or we could be look at a homicide, that’s what we’re trying to figure out,” Burns said.
Investigators are asking anyone who knew Blake or had any knowledge of his movements during the time around his disappearance to contact them at 304-357-0169 or through an anonymous tip at the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Department website.
Burns said Kanawha County Sheriff Joe Crawford and Chief Deputy Sean Snuffer are working to solve unsolved cases.
“He (Crawford) wants to make sure the unsolved cases are worked to their fullest,” Burns said. “We hope we can find justice for those who are missing or have been victims of homicide. We want to make sure they found closure.”