Human Remains Found in Coal Bin Identified as Man Who Disappeared in 1988
Alabama police have identified human remains found in a coal bin as a man who disappeared 38 years ago and became the subject of a long-running cold case.
DNA testing on the remains – first discovered in late 2004 – eventually brought the 21-year-old back to life. Bryant Keith Bates.
Us Weekly confirmed that Bates was last seen alive on November 15, 1988, after leaving her North East Lake home for a funeral.
When she failed to return from a friend’s funeral, Bates’ relatives became suspicious and reported her missing to the Birmingham Police Department.
At the beginning of the missing persons investigation, his family expressed great concern that the young man was killed intentionally.
Back on November 22, 2004, the police were contacted by a killer, who told them that he had found human remains buried in a coal bin while working at a rental property in South East Lake.
The remains were brought to the Jefferson County Coroner/Medical Examiner’s Office for examination, and it was determined that the victim was male and possibly of African descent. They estimated his age to be between 17 and 30 years old and said he was 5-foot-10.
Officials say Bates was last seen wearing plaid pants with a white shirt with blue trim — the same clothing found with the remains.
A Coca-Cola brand watch and chain necklace were also found, and both belonged to Bates.
An autopsy determined that Bates had been shot in the head. The manner in which he died has been ruled a homicide, and now, investigators are trying to bring his killer to justice.
Police have no idea yet how long ago Bates was killed. They also failed to discuss possible suspects.
Information about the unidentified remains was entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons Program in 2015, but no matches were found.
Three years later, a sample of the bones was sent to the University of Texas Center for Human Identification (UNTCHI) for analysis, and the results confirmed that the remains were human. The profile was entered into the Combined DNA Index System, however, no match was reached.
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Then in March 2025, officials took a sample of the bones and sent them to Othram, Inc., for further analysis. A DNA profile created from that specific analysis confirmed that the remains were of African ancestry and helped genealogists develop new clues about the man’s identity.
Officials say those new methods were sent to the Jefferson County Coroner/Medical Examiner’s Office and allowed them to locate family members of the deceased.
In February 2026, officials say UNTCHI ran Bates’ DNA and confirmed that the missing remains found were Bates’.
The Jefferson County Coroner’s Office says the identification was made possible through the use of forensic genetic genealogy analysis (FGG) and is a positive secondary identification using the technique. Officials say they currently have 26 cases being processed by the FGG program.
