Remains found in the Ozarks identified as Missouri man missing since 2016

CAMDEN COUNTY, Mo. — Detectives with the Camden County Sheriff’s Office confirmed human remains found in Linn Creek in October 2021 belong to a man who had been missing since 2016.

Gary Kaeter was last seen alive on May 30, 2016 in Texas County. Kaeter was from Licking, Missouri.

In June of 2016, the Missouri State Highway Patrol towed Kaeter’s vehicle from State Road Y in Linn Creek. The Sheriff’s Office said at the time, there was no evidence of suspicious activity and no clues as to where Kaeter might be. A follow-up investigation also yielded no clues.

The human remains were found in October of 2021 at the bottom of a steep ravine by two people who were hunting for arrowheads. Deputies found skeletal remains and tattered clothes when they responded.

Kaeter’s remains were identified after detectives worked with police in San Diego, California to collect DNA from one of his close family members. An independent lab analyzed the results and identified the remains found in 2021 as belonging to Kaeter.