An old bicycle and bones that may belong to a former Dallas firefighter who went missing five years ago were discovered by a man who was out for a hike in Rains County.
On November 30, 2022, the Rains and Hunt County sheriff’s offices, along with the Texas Rangers, responded to a call to investigate the findings of human skeletal remains. The bones and other evidentiary items were located in Rains County, according to a news release.
Hiker Michael Ramsey was walking in the woods he thought was previously impassable due to the swamp in the area when he noticed an old mountain bike under a fallen rotted tree.
“A hiker did find the remains while out nature walking,” confirmed Shannon Morel, first sergeant of the Hunt County sheriff’s office, speaking to The Dallas Express. The remains are presumed to be human.
Five years ago, the cell phone of former Dallas firefighter Michael Chambers was discovered in the same area as the remains were found this week.
Chambers’ phone signal was last recorded over Lake Tawakoni in the middle of a two-mile bridge. He was tracked traveling at a speed determined to be too slow for a car and too fast for walking.
Chambers was last seen in Quinlan in March 2017. A bike was missing from his residence on the day he went missing.
Examination of the remains is in the early stages, according to the Hunt County Sheriff’s Office. The identification of their origin has yet to be determined, but they were sent to The University of North Texas for analysis.
“Proper identification can only be made by dental records or DNA. Identification of human remains can be a lengthy process, and we ask that you keep the families who have missing loved ones in mind when posting information about the findings,” the statement from Hunt County read.
The Dallas Express reached out to the Rains County sheriff’s office for information and was referred to the Hunt County sheriff’s office.