Human remains found in Alexander County last September has been identified.
Sheriff Chris Bowman said Monday that the North Carolina Crime Lab in Raleigh has confirmed the remains to be 39-year old Jason Anthony Riddle of Stony Point. The badly decomposed remains yielded sufficient DNA to confirm the identity Bowman says.
On September 28, 2021 at approximately 7:30 AM, Alexander County Emergency Communication Center received a call about a vehicle accident located on County Home Rd, near the intersection of Millersville Road. Alexander County EMS, along with North Carolina Highway Patrol responded. The driver of the wrecked vehicle was transported to a local hospital. During the accident, the driver’s dog escaped the wrecked vehicle. The driver’s brother came to the scene to wait on a wrecker. The wrecker was coming from Caldwell County. During that time, the brother stepped into a wooded area in an attempt to locate the missing dog. While in the woods, he came upon a wallet. Several feet away from the wallet, he saw what appeared to be a severely decomposed human body. At that time, he immediately called the Alexander County Emergency Communication Center and reported the discovery.
At 9:28 AM, Alexander County Sheriff Deputies and Investigators responded to the scene. An investigation ensued and it was confirmed that a human body had been discovered, suffering from severe decomposition. A wallet found near the body contained a North Carolina Identification Card with the name Jason Anthony Riddle, W/M, age 39 of Stony Point.
Jason Anthony Riddle
A preliminary autopsy conducted in October failed to reveal the identity of the remains.
Sheriff Bowman says that although the remains have been identified , the cause of death could not be confirmed. The investigation is ongoing.
Photo: Alexander County Sheriff’s Office