Nearly 30 years after a Michigan man was last seen alive, authorities finally identified his mummified remains earlier this month.
The skeleton of William Herman Hietamaki, 45, of Trout Creek, Michigan, was found near the Hoover Dam in Arizona in 2009, however he was last seen by loved ones during a visit to his sister's in New Mexico in 1995, family told investigators with the Mohave County Sheriff's Office.
Hietamaki lived a nomadic life and frequently hitchhiked, said family, according to investigators.
Workers pouring concrete near the Hoover Dam stumbled upon his remains 14 years after he vanished.
His clothes, a towel and sleeping bag were also recovered near the scene, said authorities.
Hietamaki's case went cold following several years of investigation with no promising leads. But recent advancements in DNA technology proved the remains were a match with his siblings in Michigan, said authorities.
A cause of death remains unclear due to the level of decomposition of his body, but family members said Hietamaki suffered from epileptic seizures.
