Remains found in Bannock County identified as missing man
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CHUBBUCK — A body found near Chubbuck on Saturday has been identified as a local man originally reported missing nearly a year ago.
Karl Lockhart was 32 when he was reported missing last June, according to Chubbuck Chief of police Bill Guiberson.
Lockhart’s remains were found by a group of surveyors in a field near North Nelson lane north of Chubbuck in Bannock County Saturday afternoon.
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Although Lockhart had been missing for nearly 10 months, and his body was found in a state of decomposition, it is unlikely that he has been in the field for anywhere near that amount of time, Bannock County Sheriff Tony Manu said.
“As far as the time frame, how long he’s been out there, that’s yet to be determined,” Manu told EastIdahoNews.com. “I don’t know if we’ll ever determine (how long the body was in the field) — it’s pretty preliminary right now.”
Lockhart’s remains were identified by a forensics team in Boise on Monday, Manu said. Lockhart’s next of kin have been notified.
There is no timetable for determining a cause of death, Manu added.
“They’re doing more tests back in Boise,” he said. “I think they’re just doing a closer examination. We don’t even have possession of the remains.”
Lockhart’s remains will be brought back to Chubbuck following the completion of testing for cause of death and “related factors,” according to Manu.
The body of 30-year-old Samantha Bear was discovered in an irrigation canal in Chubbuck on May 15.
The two death are not believed to be related, Guiberson said.