Remains identified as missing Statesboro man

The partial skeleton discovered last week in Jenkins County was that of missing Statesboro person Victor Sweet, Statesboro police confirmed Wednesday morning.

Sweet was reported missing May 6 by family members, who told police he was last seen around midnight May 3 in the 100 block of Proctor Street, according to an alert from the Nixle Police Department issued at the time.

Sweet did not return home or show up for work, prompting his family members to report him missing to Statesboro police, according to a statement released by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

Investigator Ben Purvis of the Statesboro Police Department followed numerous leads over several months in an attempt to locate Sweet, the GBI said.

When he was reported missing, family members told police they were concerned that Sweet, who suffered from epilepsy, did not have his medication with him. Police and family members said at the time that they feared for his safety, particularly because he was prone to epileptic seizures.

A 14-year-old boy found the skeletal remains at 7 p.m. Dec. 31 while hunting south of Millen near Edna Lanier Road, Jenkins County Sheriff Robert Oglesby said last week.

Oglesby requested help from the GBI. The skeletal remains were recovered and transported to the GBI Medical Examiner's Office in Decatur. The remains were positively identified as those of Sweet, the GBI said.

The GBI will be the lead agency in the investigation into the circumstances of Sweet's death. The Jenkins County Sheriff's Office and the Statesboro Police Department will assist in the investigation.

This case remains under investigation and no further information is being released at this time, according to a Statesboro Police news release issued Wednesday.

The GBI, Jenkins County Sheriff's Office and the Statesboro Police Department are asking for assistance from anyone with information regarding Sweet's death.

Anyone with information regarding this case is asked to contact the Statesboro Police Department at (912) 764-9911. You can also submit information anonymously at www.tipsoft.com or by sending a text message starting with “TIPSSPD” to 274637 (CRIMES). All information is strictly confidential.