Paulding County authorities have identified skeletal remains found over four years ago as those of Thomas Joe Kratzer, a Dallas resident reported missing in 2014. Kratzer, born January 18, 1959, was reported missing by his family on February 4, 2014, the Paulding County Sheriff’s Office confirmed, according to FOX 5 Atlanta.
Kratzer was last heard from in October 2013. Skeletal remains were discovered on September 22, 2021, by a property owner preparing land for a residential build. The remains included a skull and several other bones, with no immediate signs of trauma or personal identification found.
Initial analyses by GBI anthropologists only narrowed the remains’ age and race. In 2023, forensic DNA testing at Othram identified the remains as Thomas Joe Kratzer. The Cold Case Unit obtained funding for the testing from assets seized from a criminal enterprise, after initial difficulty due to a lack of evidence suggesting a homicide, according to FOX 5 Atlanta…