JEFFERSON COUNTY, Tenn. — The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office said Wednesday that skeletal remains found on March 5 belonged to Joe Hall, a South Carolina man who was reported missing in May 2021.
A Silver Alert was issued by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation after Hall was reported missing. He was 73 years old and had Alzheimer's, officials said.
Investigators said he was visiting Jefferson County on a vacation before walking away and disappearing. Officials previously said he left with $6 and no cellphone.
Joe Hall's son previously said they usually visited Jefferson County for vacations because it's where his dad spent the first 14 years of his life.
Sheriff Jeff Coffey said deputies were called to a home on Shropshire Hollow Road on March 5 about human remains that had been found on the property. He said when they arrived, they were taken down a driveway leading to a barn where it looked like dogs had found the remains and brought them on the property.
Several groups responded to the scene after the remains were found including investigators with the Criminal Investigation Division, a TBI agent and two forensic investigators with the University of Tennessee anthropology department.
The remains were then taken by the forensic investigators to be examined. Hall's family was also contacted so they could get his dental records, comparing them to the remains. Officials said they were a match.
They were found around 2 miles from Hall's last known location.
"We are saddened by this discovery and send our prayers and condolences to the Hall Family," Coffey said.
Bloodhounds, helicopters and crews across counties searched the air, land and water, including nearby Douglas Lake after Hall was reported missing.
