Human skull found in Diamondhead may be man who went missing 11 years ago, officials say

A human skull was found in the woods between two Diamondhead homes on Friday, leading to more remains, officials say, which may be those of a man who disappeared more than 11 years ago.

Hancock County Sheriff Ricky Adam said an adjoining property owner discovered the skull Friday morning while walking through a lightly wooded path about 200 feet from the roadway on Apua Street off Kapalama Drive.

Sheriff’s investigators arrived at the scene and secured a small area with yellow crime scene tape, Adam said. They then contacted the Mississippi Bureau of Investigations, which sent members of its forensics crime scene team down to assist.

Several bones and what are believed to be the man’s personal belongings were found lying on the ground just below a small pile of leaves and dirt. Among the personal belongings were a hat, a pair of gray tennis shoes and a silver wrist watch. The neighbor had also given authorities a wallet he had found near the skull.

“The wallet was drenched,” said Hancock County Coroner Jim Faulk. “It was half dirt and half wallet. It was awful. I slowly opened it and ripped the stitches at the seam where it preserved all of the information. I dried and cleaned off two plastic pieces and a name was on both.”

One of the cards was a Sam’s Club Card, Faulk said, which was dated back to 2007.

”It even had a photo,” Faulk said.

All of the items found also matched the description of a man reported missing in May 18, 2008.

Ward Buel, 86, of Diamondhead suffered from Alzheimer’s disease and disappeared from his home.

Search-and-rescue teams scoured the neighborhood near Buel’s home on Linohau Way at the time. They went door to door in the residential areas of Diamondhead, handing out fliers. ATVs and cadaver dogs were used to comb fields and wooded areas, including along Interstate 10.

For some time, hope remained that Buel was alive. Officials followed numerous reports from people who had seen men matching his description. Buel’s name was entered into a national database for missing persons.

Buel lived just a short distance away from where the remains were discovered.

About 10 acres of land — which include a large, perfectly manicured field, a small farmhouse, and a pond — sat feet away from where the remains were found. Although the property owner said he had never seen the remains nor could he recall hearing about a man who had gone missing, he did remember an incident that occurred on his property many years ago, likely around the time Buel had disappeared.

The land owner said he noticed an older gentlemen had wandered onto his property, so he asked the man if he needed any help. He said the man mentioned having Alzheimer’s disease and said he had gotten lost while taking his daily walk. He said the gentleman explained that he lived just around the corner and that if he could point him in the direction of the main road, he could find his way home.

Read more at SeaCoastEcho.com