BY ROGER SMITH
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN
INEZ — Officials have confirmed that a hunter discovered human remains Monday evening in the hills off Coldwater Road in Inez. They also confirmed that an ID and foodstamp card in an article of clothing belong to an Inez man who has been missing since March 4.
Investigators recovered skeletal remains, articles of clothing, shoes and a cellphone at the scene Monday night. The Martin County Sheriff’s Office, Kentucky State Police, Martin County Coroner, fire departments, emergency management and local rescue squad continued combing the rugged area off Route 908 into Tuesday.
Police responded around 8:30 p.m. Monday after a call from a local man who was hunting in the area when he stumbled upon a human skeleton. Sheriff John Kirk, deputies, Coroner Chris Todd and first responders immediately converged on the scene while KSP troopers arrived around 9:30 p.m.
Authorities worked overnight cordoning off the site and searching for scattered skeletal remains and other evidence. They will maintain security throughout the night to preserve evidence as the investigation continues.
“Right now we have confirmed body parts,” Martin County Coroner Chris Todd said late Monday night at the scene.
Officials found the ID and foodstamp card of 59-year-old Jody Pauley of Inez inside a wallet recovered from a pocket of an article of clothing.
Sheriff John Kirk said Monday evening that he suspected the deceased person is the missing Pauley. He quickly added that positive identification of the remains would require forensic confirmation.
“My wife and I have prayed for many weeks that God would help us to find Jody and give his family closure,” Kirk said. “We can’t say it’s Jody at this time, but we sadly suspect it may be.”
The sheriff’s office began searching for Pauley in April after family members reported him missing. Last month Sheriff Kirk directed a deep water search of the Curtis Crum Reservoir.
Pauley’s family members confirmed that officials contacted them Monday to assist in identifying the shoes and articles of clothing.
KSP detectives arrived late Monday night to take over the investigation.
Coroner Todd said his office will transport the remains to the State Medical Examiner’s Office for autopsy and positive identification.
No other details have been released at this time.
This is a developing story. We will update as we receive new information.
Original story: Breaking News: Police presence in Inez after hunter reports human remains