FORT SMITH — Fort Smith police say a skull found in the Arkansas River more than five years ago has been identified as that of a man missing since 2007.
Sgt. Daniel Grubbs said Thursday that DNA testing identified the skull as that of Salvador Serran Luevano.
Luevano was reported missing shortly after the body of his 18-year-old wife — Blanca Cortes-Romero — was found floating in the river in August 2007. The skull was found in March 2008 and was identified earlier this month after Luevano's relatives in Mexico were located and provided DNA samples for comparison.
Grubbs says family members reported that the couple often fished in the area and that neither could swim. Grubbs said both are believed to have drowned accidentally and that foul play is not suspected.