On August 18, 2025, Meigs County Sheriff’s Office deputies, conducting a welfare check in a remote area off Bowerman Lane, discovered human remains believed to belong to Monty Ritter, a man in his mid-60s originally from Virginia, who had not been seen for three to four weeks.

The remains, found near a pickup truck in an overgrown, inaccessible wooded area where Ritter lived in a dilapidated trailer, included a skull and other bones, with identification found in a safe box inside the truck. Authorities, assisted by the Knox County Regional Forensic Center and an anthropologist, recovered minimal remains due to prolonged exposure to heat, humidity, rain, and animals, and are awaiting forensic testing, such as dental records or DNA, for positive identification.

No foul play is suspected, and the death is presumed natural. A fenced enclosure with nearly a dozen dogs was also found on the property, and efforts are underway to locate Ritter’s distant relatives while addressing rumors about the remains’ identity.