KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WCAX) – Investigators say a Vermont man found dead in Tennessee 20 years ago and just recently identified was stabbed and his death was a homicide.
Human remains were found in 2003 near an interstate entrance ramp in Knoxville when someone walking by spotted a human skull.
Forensics found the man had been stabbed multiple times.
The body went unidentified for more than 20 years and the case was a mystery until this year when genetic testing identified the man as Brian Sanderson, 54, of Vermont.
“After talking to his family members, he had gone off a long time ago and they hadn’t seen him and I don’t believe they were looking. So the fact he ended up in Knoxville, Tennessee, at some point in time prior to his death is still a lot of unanswered questions on how he got here and how long he’d been here,” said Chris Thomas of the Knox County Regional Forensic Center.
Investigators say part of the reason it took so long to identify the remains was because no one filed a missing persons report on Sanderson.
Knoxville police now have an open homicide investigation into Sanderson’s death.