HOWELL COUNTY, Mo. — The skeletal remains uncovered in August 2024 in rural Howell County, Missouri, have been confirmed as those of Ira Lee Briscoe, a 25-year-old who had been missing from West Plains since 2020.

The Howell County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) shared on Facebook that they consulted a forensic expert from the Missouri State Highway Patrol Crime Lab in Springfield about DNA samples submitted earlier. On March 18, these samples were compared with DNA taken from Ira’s parents, revealing a “99.9999999999% likelihood” that the remains were indeed those of their biological son.

Ira Briscoe and his roommate — 49-year-old Limon Little — have been missing since December 2020, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

Sheriff Matt Roberts conveyed this news to the Briscoe family following his conversation with the forensic scientist. The next of kin for Little were also brought up to speed with these findings.

The rest of the discovered human remains have not yet been identified, according to HCSO, but they will be submitted to a private laboratory for additional DNA testing.

“Sheriff Roberts and the Howell County Sheriff’s Office are committed to bringing this case to a close as soon as possible,” HCSO said in the Facebook post.