LISA HOBBS – Contributor
Bones found in Pelham earlier this month have been identified as a missing Georgia man, officials say.
Grundy County Sheriff Heath Gunter has confirmed via a press release that remains found in a field on US 41 in Pelham on Oct. 5 are those of Jeremy O’Bannon, who was reported missing out of Ringgold, Ga., more than five years ago.
According to 2018 reports, O’Bannon, then 42, was reported missing on April 12 by his wife. His abandoned truck was discovered on April 14 on Highway 41 in Pelham, which is approximately 70 miles from his home. The truck was located beside an old schoolhouse being used as a fire department. The door to the building was open. O’Bannon’s cellphone pinged off a cellphone tower a couple hundred yards away. Located in the truck were its keys and camping gear.
After being located in the field, the remains were sent to Nashville Medical Examiner’s Office for analysis and identification.
The Marion Tribune’s sister paper The Grundy County Herald contacted Sheriff Gunter for additional information. Specially, the distance between O’Bannon’s abandoned truck and where his remains were located. He declined to comment at this time.
“We are still working the case right now,” said Gunter. “I have investigators working on site. This is still an open case.”
The Marion Tribune – October 12, 2023
