Missing man’s ‘partially skeletonized’ body found in marsh

BEAUFORT, SC (AP) — The sheriff’s office of Beaufort County, South Carolina, say the body of a man reported missing this month has been found “partially skeletonized” in a marsh near Lady’s Island Airport.

The Island Packet reports county Deputy Coroner David Ott said Tuesday that the body is that of 54-year-old Joseph Gardner Jr. The sheriff’s office says the body was found Feb. 3 by relatives of Ott who were searching for him. He had been reported missing that same day, though he was last seen by relatives in December.

A police report says relatives told officers that an acquaintance of Ott had said the man had gone to Florida with a girlfriend. The newspaper says family members recently became suspicious of the story due to a lack of contact with Ott.

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Information from: The Island Packet, http://www.islandpacket.com

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