Skeletal remains found in Albany on Oct. 1 have been identified

ALBANY — The human remains found earlier this month on the periphery of an Albany cemetery have been identified as those of a man who has been missing for three years.

Dougherty County Coroner Michael Fowler said Friday that the Georgia Bureau of Investigation identified the skeletal remains, found in the vicinity of Crown Hill Cemetery on Dawson Road, as those of 46-year-old Joey Roberts.

“(We’re) still in the process of determining the manner and cause of death,” Fowler said during a Friday news conference.

A short time before his disappearance, Roberts was released from the Lee County Jail and had gotten a ride to the area where the remains were found, the coroner said.

“His family thought it might have been him because they knew he had been dropped off there,” Fowler said. “The last known sighting of him was in the vicinity of the cemetery.”

A person walking in the area discovered the bones on the outskirts of the cemetery on Oct. 1. The individual looked around and found more bones in the tree line.

The family has been notified, Fowler said.

“The family can have closure,” he said. “We can get him back to his family.”

In the time since the skeletal remains were discovered, a number of area residents have called Fowler’s office and the Albany Police Department seeking to find out if the remains were perhaps those of their loved one.

“I got a call this morning about it,” Fowler said.

The initial investigation did not determine any foul play was involved in Roberts’ death, the coroner said, but further forensic work will be done to try to determine if he suffered any injuries.

Staff Photo: Alan MauldinAlanMauldin[email protected]
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