Human remains found nearly 45 years ago in Blount County have just been identified.

Officers say on April 4, 1981, hunters found human remains of a man in the East Miller’s Cove area of Blount County.

Investigators attempted to identify the victim by using technology available at the time. The only conclusion they had was that it was a Caucasian male between the ages of 20 and 35.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation began working with the sheriff’s office in March 2025, more than four decades later, to submit a sample of the remains to a private lab. Agents now say the remains are of William Thomas Green with a March 29, 1942, date of birth. Green was last seen by family members in Knoxville around 1977.

Investigators are working to determine what led to his death.

Anyone with information about Green should contact the Blount County Sheriff’s Office at (865) 273-5001. Tips can also be submitted anonymously using the 24-hour Crime Hotline at (865) 273-5200.