WAKEFIELD, MASS. (WHDH) - Authorities say the human remains found behind a home in Wakefield on Monday have been identified as those of a missing Dracut man, officials announced Thursday.
The remains were identified as those of 54-year-old Clifford Bates, who was last seen in the spring of 2018, according to a joint release issued by Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan and Wakefield Chief of Police Steven Skory.
On April 29, 2018, Bates’ sister told police that he had walked away from a voluntary sober home on Lakeshore Drive and that she was concerned about his well-being. Police scoured the areas of Wakefield, Chelmsford, Lowell, and Concord after an official missing person report was filed.
Police say they received several tips but they were unable to locate Bates.
Emergency crews were called to a home undergoing renovations on Lakeshore Drive on Monday around 10:20 a.m. after a landscaper found what appeared to be human bones, shoes, and clothing under a bush behind a shed.
Bates, who was identified through dental records, “had been outside for an extended period of time,” according to Ryan’s office. An exact time and cause of death have not yet been determined.
The home had been vacant since December 2018 and was recently sold.
An investigation is ongoing.
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