By Melanie Ruberti

 

Melanie.ruberti@lagrangenews.com

 

 

Man missing since May, 2015 discovered deceased

 

The remains believed to be Leroy Hubbard found 2.5 miles from his home

 

LaGRANGE –  Investigators with the Troup County Sheriff’s Office believe they may have solved the mysterious disappearance of an 87-year-old man from his home in the 800 block of Shake Rag Road.

 

Skeletal remains were discovered Wednesday behind a home on Ike Davison Road by a passerby, said TCSO investigators.

 

Officials believe the remains belong to Leroy Hubbard who vanished from his home in May, 2015. Clothing found near the body matched what the 87-year-old was seen wearing on the day of his disappearance, TCSO investigators stated.

 

The man was found about 2.5 miles from his house.

 

In the days and week following his disappearance, Troup County Sheriff’s deputies along with local law enforcement agencies set up a command post on Shake Rag Road, used horses, rode all-terrain vehicles and walked through thick brush with K9 units to find Hubbard.

 

Officers also searched for the man by air using a helicopter equipped with thermal imaging cameras that could pick up a person’s body heat.

 

Hubbard had wandered away from his home two months before he vanished, TCSO officials stated in a Daily News article from May, 2015. Investigators also said the 87-year-old man may have suffered from dementia.

 

Foul play is not suspected, but the remains were sent to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Crime Lab for further examination, TCSO officials stated.

 

Hubbard’s family was notified of the discovery by TCSO investigators.

 

Melanie Ruberti is a reporter with LaGrange Daily News. She can be reached at 706-884-7311, ext. 2156.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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