Found the case I was thinking of... Steven Kraft age 12 missing from Benton Harbor, MI. Benton Harbor is also in Berrien County and the distance between New Buffalo and Benton Harbor is 26.8 miles.
Of course with very little info on the remains found the above possibility is based on location and that the older dog led family to a local pond but no evidence of Steven was found near the pond. Charley Project also indicates Stevens puppy was later found near a creek. However the creek is not named at Charley Project and it is unknown if this creek leads into the river in which these remains were found.
I thought of Steven Kraft right away as well.
NAMUS lists 5 people missing from Berrien County:
Steven Kraft, 2/15/2001, age 12
Shirley Pullen, 12/31/1986, age 70
Marie Strandberg, 3/24/1982, age 46
Glenna West, 12/5/1977, age 34
Janis Sanders, 8/5/1975, age 25
Of course, this area is a frequent travel destination, especially for individuals from Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan, so the deceased could be from anywhere. I used to rent a cottage in New Buffalo with friends once a year - its really a very quaint area.
Hopefully they are able to narrow down age, gender, and race from the bones that were found.