MANCHESTER — The skeletal remains found in Manchester over the weekend have been tentatively identified as those of a Virginia man who had been attending a drug rehabilitation program in Winthrop last year, when he disappeared.

The remains are believed to be those of 33-year-old Paul Tolbert of Radford, Va., according to Steve McCausland, Department of Public Safety spokesman.

Police contacted Tolbert’s parents yesterday. They have agreed to provide DNA samples to help the state medical examiner’s office make an official identification, McCausland said.

Tolbert was in Maine attending a drug rehabilitation program in Winthrop when his family last spoke to him in January of this year, McCausland said. The family had not reported him missing.

McCausland said there is no indication of foul play in Tolbert’s death.

Hunters found the human skeletal remains around 8 a.m. Saturday about 200 yards off Puddledock Road. Investigators estimated the remains had been there more than a year. Authorities were unable to immediately identify whether the remains were those of a male or female.

The focus of the probe turned to Virgina after police found a Virginia driver’s license with the body.

Chief Deputy Ryan Reardon of the Kennebec County Sheriff’s Office said the case officially remains an active investigation until authorities can definitively determine that the remains are those of Tolbert. Once that confirmation has occurred, the remains will be turned over to the family, Reardon said.

“I’m glad there is some closure for them,” he said.


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.