Hiker stumbles upon remains of man who has been missing for years, Arizona cops say

The human remains found by a hiker have been identified, Arizona officials said.

A hiker was in South Mountain Park in Phoenix on Jan. 14 when they came across human remains, 12 News reported Aug. 4.

In July, Phoenix police officers announced the remains were those of 31-year-old Jerole Tsinnijinnie.

Tsinnijinnie was last seen in January 2020, 12 News reported.

Along with his skull that showed signs of trauma and a set of car keys, the Navajo Nation member’s clothes and shoes were found, according to FOX 10.

“I had hope that he would be in our presence once again, and that hope just broke completely and came crashing down,” Tsinnijinnie’s mother told the outlet. “It was very painful.”

McClatchy News reached out to Phoenix police on Aug. 8 for more information and is awaiting a response.

The case remains ongoing as a homicide investigation, azcentral reported.

This story was originally published August 8, 2023 at 1:39 PM with the headline "Hiker stumbles upon remains of man who has been missing for years, Arizona cops say."