What started as a simple roadside cleanup in White County ended with a grim answer to a months-long missing-person mystery. Human skeletal remains found earlier this week in the DeRossett area have been identified as 30-year-old Michael Andrew Feustel of Crossville, District Attorney Bryant C. Dunaway announced.
According to officials, the identification followed forensic analysis and investigative work by multiple agencies. Family members were notified once the remains were confirmed as Feustel. The bones were discovered on April 5 in a wooded area along U.S. Highway 70 near Bon Air Mountain.
Discovery And Initial Response
The remains were first spotted on Easter Sunday, April 5, when a person picking up trash along U.S. Highway 70 near Bon Air noticed what appeared to be a skull in the woods and called it in. Deputies from the White County Sheriff’s Office responded and launched a grid search of the surrounding area.
Investigators recovered multiple bones and sent them to the medical examiner for analysis while officers secured the scene and collected evidence. At the time of the discovery, authorities said it was not yet clear whether foul play was involved, according to WSMV.
Identification And Agencies Involved
In a statement on Bryant C. Dunaway's Facebook page, the district attorney said the remains had been positively identified as those of Michael Andrew Feustel.
Dunaway credited the identification to what he described as the collective efforts of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, the White County Sheriff's Office, the Sparta Police, White County EMS and the Crossville Police Department. He added that Feustel's family had been notified of the development.
Missing-Person Background
Feustel had been reported missing on June 22, 2023. Local reports said he was last seen in Crossville getting into a vehicle headed for Hickman County, and that an acquaintance later told relatives the two had argued and Feustel left the car near DeRossett.
Coverage compiled by 3B Media News details the family's months-long search, along with contact information for Crossville-Cumberland County Crime Stoppers and the Crossville Police Department for tips. Community members had shared missing-person appeals while law enforcement followed up on leads.
What Investigators Say And How To Help
Authorities say the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has been asked to assist and that the remains are undergoing further forensic study as detectives work to determine Feustel's cause and manner of death.
Officials are asking anyone with information to contact Crossville-Cumberland County Crime Stoppers at 931-200-1173 or the Crossville Police Department at 931-484-7231, ext. 4515. State and local agencies say they will release additional details as the medical examiner's review and the wider investigation move forward. Investigators have not yet said whether they believe foul play was involved, according to WSMV.
