Skeletal remains found in Columbus identified as missing person case from 2020, cops say

Skeletal remains found in 2021 in Columbus have now been identified as a person missing since 2020, according to Columbus police.

Police said they received a missing person report on June 27, 2020, for 60-year-old John Craft, who hadn’t been seen in several days.

On June 10, 2021, DNA swabs were taken from Craft’s brother for samples to aid the investigation, according to police.

Police said human skeletal remains were found on November 14, 2021, in a wooded area near Woodruff Farm Road near the Norfolk Southern railway line.

Those remains were sent to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s crime lab, and a sample was sent to a private forensic laboratory for DNA analysis and comparison, according to police.

Columbus police received an official forensic report which confirmed that Craft’s brother’s DNA sample was a familial match to the remains, according to a news release.

Police said expert examination revealed no evidence of foul play in Craft’s death and the cases are now considered closed.

This story was originally published May 10, 2024 at 12:18 PM.