Remains found in attic ID’d as man missing since 2022

[In the player above, see the Oct. 31, 2022, entry in FOX 8’s Missing with Amanda Berry segment featuring Billy Bays.]

MANSFIELD , Ohio (WJW) — Decomposed remains found earlier this month in the attic of a Mansfield home have been identified as belonging to a man who went missing nearly two years ago.

Billy F. Bays III , of Mansfield, was first reported missing in early August 2022, about a week after a domestic dispute, said Mansfield police Capt. Randy Carver.

He was 46 years old at the time, according to the Ohio Attorney General’s Office .

On Monday, April 8, electricians working at the home in the 200 block of West 3rd Street discovered the body and reported it to the Mansfield Police Department , according to a previous news release.

Mercyhurst University’s Forensic and Biological Anthropology Team later helped process the scene.

The body was severely decomposed when it was discovered, said Robert Ball, an investigator with the Richland County Coroner’s Office. Officials identified Bays using dental records, he said.

“We were fortunate to be able to identify him,” he said.

It’s still unclear how the man died. Ball said determining the cause and manner of the man’s death may prove difficult given the condition of his remains.

The home where Bays was found is near a residence belonging to Bays’ family members, Carver confirmed on Thursday.

He said police are still gathering facts regarding the case and expect to release more information at a later date.

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