WATERFORD, Maine — Wardens found human remains Sunday in Waterford while searching for a man missing since October 2018, the Maine Warden Service said Monday.
A pair of the service's K-9s found the remains near Deer Hill Road, Cpl. John MacDonald said, 4.5 to 7.5 miles away from 440 Norway Rd., the residence at which 50-year-old Ricky Lee Howard was last seen by family on Oct. 5, 2018.
Previously, Howard's whereabouts were sought by both wardens and county sheriff's deputies due to him reportedly leaving the residence "while in crisis," and apparently stopping at a Stoneham liquor store on Maine Street. Two days later, police found Howard's compact SUV along Deer Hill Road.
Game wardens on Sunday were searching for evidence in the area related to Howard, Cpl. MacDonald said. The remains were located about a mile into the woods near a bog in a thick spruce cover near Deer Hill Road.
Several ground searches for Howard had previously taken place since his disappearance, none of which had been successful.
MacDonald said the remains were sent to the state Medical Examiner’s Office for positive identification.
Assisting wardens were state troopers, Maine Association of Search and Rescue, Maine Search and Rescue Dogs, ground search volunteers, equestrians search teams, Waterford firefighters and York County EMA.
