The remains found in Highspire’s Reservoir Park over the summer have been identified as a
73-year-old reported missing in the spring of 2019.
Robert Turner, 73, is believed to have died in the park not long after he left his Ann Street home in Highspire on May 7, 2019, according to the Dauphin County Coroner’s Office.
A group of children fishing at Reservoir Park
discovered Turner’s remains on June 22, 2023. Coroner Graham Hetrick said the clothing on the remains matched what Turner was wearing when he was last seen.
The remains were identified as Turner’s through this “strong circumstantial evidence,” Hetrick said, since a DNA profile was unable to be established.
“The area where we recovered the bones was wooded and difficult to access. Mr. Turner’s family described him as becoming increasingly confused as he aged, so it is likely he unfortunately became disoriented in that overgrowth,” Hetrick said.
Turner’s cause and manner of death are listed as undetermined. Hetrick said his remains did not show any obvious signs of trauma
The 73-year-old was becoming increasingly confused as he aged and likely became confused in the Highspire park's overgrowth, the coroner's office said.
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