Kyle Wade Clinkscales disappeared on January 27, 1976
The discovery of remains in a car belonging to a student who went missing 45 years ago has sparked new hope in the investigation.
Kyle Wade Clinkscales disappeared on January 27 1976, after leaving LaGrange, Georgia, to return to Auburn University in the nearby state of Alabama.
While police officials have searched for the 22-year-old for nearly half a century, the discovery of his car has led to a refreshed hope for the case.
The vehicle was pulled from a creek in Cusseta, Alabama, on Tuesday after someone reported it to police, reports Sky News.
Police discovered what they believe to be human bones alongside identification and credit cards belonging to Clinkscales.
“For 45 years, we’ve looked for this young man and looked for this car,” said Sheriff James Woodruff of Troup County, Georgia.
“We’ve drained lakes, and we’ve looked here and looked there and ran this theory down and that theory down and, it’s always turned out nothing.”
Despite the discovery, police officials still have a lot of unanswered questions.
Sheriff Woodruff explained: “Was he murdered and left there? Did he run off the road and wreck there? That’s something we hope to discover, but it’s been 45 years.”
It had always been his mother’s dream that he would come home, claims the Sheriff. But sadly, Clinkscales’s mother died earlier this year and his father died in 2007.
The two were accused of making false statements and, while one was not prosecuted, the other pleaded guilty to two charges and spent seven years and eight months behind bars.
“It was always our hope that we would find him for her before she passed away,” the Sheriff said.
“Just the fact that we have hopefully found him and the car brings me a big sigh of relief.”
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