In a press conference held Monday afternoon Newton County Sheriff Robert Burby said that DNA of the human remains found in the Belgrade area on the Sabine River, in July, have been identified as Wayne Ardell Ayers, 52, of Vidor, Texas.
It was reported to the Jasper County Sheriff's Office on April 20, 2023, that Ayers was missing, according to Chief Deputy Scott Duncan. Ayers was last seen in the Gist area. Duncan said that this is a team effort, between the three counties, to find out what happened to Ayers.
Orange County Investigator Colton Havard said that the vehicle Ayers was last seen driving was found on South Mansfield Ferry Rd near Vidor on April 22nd and was investigated for arson. Havard stated that "Orange County's main suspect in the case is now deceased."
Burby stated, "We have searched on land and in the waters... a cadaver dog was used to search the area and found no additional remains."
Burby asked that "If anyone has any information about this investigation to call Crime Stoppers."
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