Authorities identified a body found in a Crittenden County wildlife refuge last week as a man who was reported missing more than two years ago, Crittenden County Chief Deputy Todd Grooms said Thursday.
Medical examiners at the state Crime Laboratory in Little Rock identified the skeletal remains found at Wapanocca National Wildlife Refuge south of Turrell as Blake Alan Wood, 23, of Crittenden County.
Wood was reported missing Sept. 16, 2014, by his parents, Grooms said.
A person who was searching for deer antlers in the refuge found Wood's remains March 22 and notified police. Grooms said deputies found Wood's identification card in some clothing found by the bones, but waited until the department received positive identification through dental remains before notifying family members.
Because the refuge is on federal land, deputies also called the FBI for assistance in the investigation.
Grooms said there was no evidence of trauma to the body, but the cause of death remains undetermined.
Wood was wanted for drug charges in August 2014 just before he was reported missing, Grooms said.
It's not the first time he eluded authorities, the deputy said.
"We would issue warrants on him and he'd disappear for a few weeks before turning up," Grooms said. "His mother said he knew the refuge like the back of his hand."
Wood's disappearance sparked several rumors during the past three years. Acting on tips, deputies dug up a Marion backyard after being told Wood was buried there. They also dragged a lake in search of his body.
"We heard so many stories about what happened," Grooms said.
The chief deputy said he has not ruled out the death as a homicide.
"We're waiting on the Crime Lab for the cause of death and then we'll go from there," he said.
State Desk on 03/31/2017