UPDATE 3/25 at 3:52 p.m.: The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office said the skeletal remains found in the Applegate Valley in April 2024 have been identified as 63-year-old Nathan Louis Merkel of Wimer. Merkel was reported missing in September 2023.
JCSO detectives believe Merkel died of suspicious circumstances, identifying persons of interest who are currently out of the county in custody on other charges. The names of the…..