Skeletal remains discovered near a Washington overpass earlier this month have been confirmed as those of a man who went missing in 2022.
Police responded to the scene near State Road 167, just north of the James Street overpass, on Aug. 18 to investigate “the discovery of skeletal remains,” according to a news release from the Kent Police Department (KPD).
The King County Medical Examiner’s Office has since identified the remains as belonging to 81-year-old Larry Martinez.
Authorities said Larry had been “experiencing symptoms of dementia” when he went missing on June 8, 2022.
Larry, who also had a limp and was hard of hearing, was last seen walking away from the Pied Piper Tavern in downtown Kent, according to FOX affiliate KCPQ.
Police noted that Larry’s family, community members, and the KPD had previously “conducted multiple searches” for him, but were unable to locate him.
In 2022, Larry’s wife, Linda, told NBC affiliate KING-TV that she and Larry had been married since she was just 19. She described him as “the focus of my life.”
“We have been married for 60 years,” Linda said at the time. “We have had an amazing life, we’re very old.”
According to police, the medical examiner’s office found no signs of foul play in Larry’s death.
“While this is not the outcome any of us wanted, we are hopeful that locating Mr. Martinez’s remains will bring some closure to his family and friends,” authorities said.
