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Genetic testing has allowed the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office to identify two people whose skeletal remains were discovered separately more than 30 years ago.

On Nov. 6, 1990, an employee with the Withlacoochee River Electric Cooperative discovered the remains of an unidentified male in the area of Centralia Road and Commercial Way. Meanwhile, on Nov. 3, 1991, a local hunter discovered the remains of another unidentified male in the area of Osowaw Boulevard between Shoal Line Boulevard and Commercial Way.

Niether of the deaths were the result of a homicide, nor were they those of a reported missing person from any jurisdiction.

The remains were sent to several laboratories in an effort to obtain a DNA profile necessary for identification.

Last July, a genealogist at Parabon NanoLabs in Reston, Virginia, identified the first body as that of Robert McReynolds, who was 63 years old at the time of death. The lab also provided the name of a family member, a nephew, who took custody of his uncle’s remains.

In the second case, representatives of Othram Inc., a forensic genealogy company in The Woodlands, Texas, identified the body as that of Richard Paul Sargent, who was 45 years old at the time of death. Othram also provided the name of a distant family member in Massachusetts. Sargent was a Vietnam veteran, and the American Red Cross arranged to have Sargent’s remains shipped to a local funeral home in Massachusetts.

"We never stop working behind the scenes to identify remains and, if a crime can be proven, hold criminals accountable. We know that it is important to give family members answers whenever possible, even if their relative went missing decades ago," said Hernando County Sheriff Al Nienhuis. "Although many of these cold cases hit temporary dead ends throughout the years, it is very gratifying when they finally get resolved. I am blessed to work with some very passionate, professional, and dedicated individuals who are patiently working behind the scenes to get answers on dozens of similar cases."