Remains found by mushrooms hunters are identified as missing man, Oregon cops say
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Human remains discovered by mushroom hunters last year in Oregon have been identified as a missing man, deputies said.
Nathan Merkel was 62 years old when he vanished in June 2023, the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office said in a March 25 Facebook post.
Merkel lived in Rogue River when a couple moved into his home, according to a report in the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System.
The pair said he moved out, but he had not been heard from, according to the online database.
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Mushroom hunters stumbled upon human remains last April outside Jacksonville, deputies said.
DNA was extracted from the remains and sent to a lab, where they were identified as Merkel after a “lengthy process,” deputies said.
Investigators said they believe he died under “suspicious circumstances.”
Deputies said there are persons of interest in jail in a different county on unrelated charges.
The investigation is ongoing.
Jacksonville is near the Oregon-California border.
This story was originally published March 28, 2025 at 1:36 PM with the headline "Remains found by mushrooms hunters are identified as missing man, Oregon cops say."
