Identified! TN - Pigeon Forge, Skeletal remains in tent, Sept'17 - Timothy Porter

PIGEON FORGE - Skeletal remains were found in a tent in a wooded area of Pigeon Forge Tuesday morning.

According to Barbara Ward with the Pigeon Forge Criminal Investigation Division, someone doing work in the area of Teaster Lane and Music Mountain Drive found the remains in a tent shortly after 9 a.m.

At this time, investigators are not sure if the death is natural or if foul play is involved. Pigeon Forge officials have said they don't know how long the body has been there. An ID and age and sex have not been determined.

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Skeletal remains found in Pigeon Forge last month have been identified as those of 44-year-old Timothy C. Porter, according to a news release from the Pigeon Forge Police Department.

"No skeletal evidence of significant recent trauma was found," the release reads. "The cause of death is undetermined."

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In a wooded area just off bustling Teaster Lane in Pigeon Forge, the remains of a man not seen in over a year laid in a tent until they were discovered last month and while investigators have identified the man, how he died is a mystery.

The Pigeon Forge Police Department said Wednesday that human remains found near Teaster Lane and Music Mountain Drive have been positively identified as 44-year-old Timothy C. Porter. He was not a resident of Pigeon Forge, but had been working construction jobs in the area and stayed in various local motels. Investigators say Porter was last seen in December 2015. His family was located in Alabama and notified.

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Porter’s ID and Social Security Card were found near the remains. The Regional Forensic Center made the identification based upon bone pattern in dental radiographs from UT Forensics Center. No evidence of significant recent trauma was found on the remains and the cause of death is undetermined.

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