A family walking a wooded trail between Ceasarville Road and Norris Road in Elmore County stumbled onto a discovery that ended a search that had stretched on since late August: the badly decomposed remains of a man authorities believe to be William Austin Mathews. The find came Sunday morning, more than two months after Mathews was reported missing from the Holtville area.
According to WSFA, a man and his wife were walking the trail with their two children when they came across what appeared to be a badly decomposed body. Elmore County Sheriff Bill Franklin said investigators have every reason to believe the remains are those of Mathews, noting that the clothing found at the scene matched what was seen on Ring camera footage tied to him. A cell phone and other personal items were recovered nearby, the station reported.
The discovery site sat about 2.1 miles from where Mathews lived, per the same account. Franklin told the Tuscaloosa News that the location was just south of the Slapout area, and that the remains were found near a tree in a densely wooded spot — roughly 300 to 400 yards outside the original search grid that deputies had been combing since Mathews vanished.
A Family That Knew the Woods Well
The family who made the discovery knew the area well and had followed a trail off the beaten path, according to the Tuscaloosa News. Deputies remained at the scene for several hours Sunday as investigators worked the site, and authorities have since contacted Mathews's family.
Mathews was last seen in the Holtville area on Aug. 29, per WSFA's reporting, and his parents reported him missing to the Elmore County Sheriff's Office that same day. The Wetumpka Herald had earlier reported that the sheriff's office was seeking the public's help in locating him, asking for any information that could help deputies find him.
Months of Searching Guided by Phone Data
In the weeks after Mathews disappeared, investigators leaned heavily on cell phone data to narrow their search. WSFA reported in September that Mathews's phone had been detected by a nearby cell tower until the early hours of Aug. 30, with no activity picked up after that point. A primary area of focus at the time was the stretch of Jordan Lake that extends southeast of Holtville, the station noted.
By early October, the search had not produced answers. WAKA reported that investigators were combing a three-mile area around where Mathews was last seen, as well as near the spot where his phone was last used before its battery died. The Elmore County Sheriff's Office had investigated that same search grid up until the moment Mathews was found, the Tuscaloosa News reported.
Cause of Death Still Unconfirmed
Franklin said the cause of Mathews's death remains unconfirmed and that the forensic investigation is ongoing, according to the Tuscaloosa News. The sheriff added that there is no reason at this point to believe there was any sign of foul play, and said nothing else was available for release.
