Dawes County Attorney Vance Haug says human remains found in a rural Dawes County field near the South Dakota border about 16 miles north of Chadron last summer have been positively identified as those of a Rapid City man missing for some 3 years.

Haug also says that although authorities now know that the remains belong to 35-year old Michael Munoz, the circumstances surrounding his death remain under investigation. Munoz had been reported as a missing person whose last confirmed contact was in Chadron on March 29, 2009.

The remains were found by a rancher moving cattle on his pasture last July 16, and Haug says evidence gathered by investigators at the site led officials to believe they were those of Munoz but a family member couldn’t be found for DNA testing to confirm the identity.

An initial analysis of the remains  to try to determine the cause of death was conducted by a forensic pathologist from Scottsbluff, followed by one by a forensic anthropologist from the Human Identification Laboratory of Colorado. Neither exam could positively identify the deceased, but did determine Munoz could not be excluded.

Haug says investigators continued to try to contact Munoz’s mother, Patricia Morris, for a genetic sample for DNA testing, but found that she’d moved from Rapid City without leaving any contact information.

Morris was eventually located in Glacier County, Montana, and a sample was obtained. It was sent to genetic testing specialists at the University of North Texas, which maintains the National Missing Persons Database, and they asked for a second DNA sample…this time from a sibling…to have a more positive identification.

Investigators tried to contact Munoz’s sister, Evangeline Glenmore, but discovered she had also moved and that her location was also unknown. Haug says Glenmore was finally located in Window Rock, Arizona, and supplied a DNA sample that the confirmed remains were those of her brother.

Since the investigation into the death is continuing, Haug asks that anyone with any information regarding Michael Munoz call the Dawes County Sheriff’s Office at (308) 432-3025 or the Nebraska State Patrol at (308) 432-6131.