Authorities have identified the skeletal remains found in Richland Township Monday as an elderly man who’d been missing since Oct.
Cambria County Coroner Jeff Lees held a press conference Wednesday where he identified the remains as 80-year-old David Simon of Somerset County.
Lees says Simon’s remains were found around 11 a.m. Monday by an individual collecting cans and bottles in a wooded area near Oakridge Drive.
He says Simon’s was identified through dental artifacts and personal items.
Lees noted that Simon had a medical history and was known to disappear for months at a time.
He adds that the family, who had reported him missing, has been notified.
Cambria County District Attorney Greg Neugebauer added that authorities are still investigating what led to Simon’s death but they do not suspect foul play.
“He was reported missing by family in October of 2021. The last contact that we know of was in the Johnstown area around April of 2021. He did have a medical history and also a pattern, according to the family of disappearing for months at a time.”