Human remains discovered in Saline County in 2021 have been identified through DNA as a man reported missing in Salina in 2019.
In a news release, Saline County Sheriff Roger Soldan said the remains — which include a human skull and another small bone, and were discovered in a wooded creek in a farmland in the southwestern part of Salina on April 20, 2021 — belong to Kenneth. Frances Reitcheck.
Human remains discovered in Saline County in 2021 have been identified as Kenneth Reitcheck, a man who was reported missing to the Salina Police Department in 2019.
“At that time, an extensive search of the area was conducted by law enforcement, including the use of K9s, but no further evidence was found that could assist in identifying the skull,” Soldan said.
After initial lab results failed to produce a match, the remains were also examined by Wichita State University’s Department of Anthropology, which was able to provide some details about the person’s estimated height and age.
According to Soldan, sheriff’s office investigators contacted Othram Lab this summer for possible assistance with advanced DNA testing and were notified of a positive identification on December 2.
“DNA confirmed that the remains are that of Kenneth Frances Reitcheck, who was reported missing to the Salina Police Department in November 2019,” Soldan said. “Reitcheck was 69 (years old) at the time of his disappearance.”
So far no cause of death has been determined.
This article originally appeared in Salina Journal: Salina man reported missing in 2019 identified in human remains case
