DNA confirms the identity of bones found near Natchez

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Bones discovered near Natchez, Mississippi, last month have been confirmed as those of Timothy H. Hearn.

On July 6, agents from the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks notified Adams County Coroner James Lee of a leg bone in a boot discovered in an area known as Anna’s Bottom, just north of Natchez. Lee sent the bones to the Mississippi Crime Lab for forensic analysis.

The boots were similar to a pair that belonged to Hearn, who went missing from a towboat moored near St. Joseph, Louisiana, Nov. 3, 2018. Hearn was 25 at the time of his disappearance.

Hearn’s mother, Carmen Hancock, gave a DNA sample shortly after the discovery.

In a Facebook post Monday, Hancock said she had gotten word that the bones were a match to her DNA.

It’s not clear whether an investigation is underway; however, the U.S. Coast Guard is the agency of record for the disappearance because it occurred on a waterway.