Gwinnett County police are asking for the public’s help identifying a man whose skeletal remains were found in the Buford woods in 2015. Georgia Bureau of Investigation forensic artist Kelly Lawson released a new facial reconstruction sketch of the man Wednesday.
The man’s remains were likely in the woods for “several years,” police say. There were no clothes or personal items found with the skeletal remains “due to the amount of time the man was at the location,” according to a Gwinnett County Police Department release.
The man is estimated to have been between 25 and 40 years old at his time of death, and was between 5-foot-3-inches and 5-foot-6-inches tall. He had multiple composite fillings and one root canal on a tooth in the lower jaw, according to a forensic anthropologist.
The man’s cause of death is unknown; there are no clear signs of trauma or foul play, police said.
The Gwinnett County Medical Examiner confirmed that the remains do not belong to Justin Gaines, a 20-year-old man who disappeared from a Duluth nightclub in 2007, Gwinnett County police noted in their release.
Anyone with information related to this man’s identity can contact Gwinnett County detectives at 770-513-5300 or Crime Stoppers at 404-577-8477. Tips leading to an arrest or indictment can receive up to $2,000 in cash rewards.
