DNA test identifies body as man who went missing
The mystery of an elderly man who went missing around Christmas while visiting family in South Buffalo Township has been solved.
State police said Tuesday that a body pulled from the Allegheny River near the Fox Chapel Yacht Club in March has been identified as 70-year-old Kenneth Himes.
DNA testing was used for the identification, investigators said. No foul play is suspected in his death.
Himes, who lived at Passavant Memorial Home near Pittsburgh, was at a relative's home on Cadogan Slate Lick Road, where he was visiting family, when he disappeared the night of Dec. 25.
Investigators believe he walked away while family was sleeping.
The Passavant home is an in-home treatment facility for people with mental disabilities and handicaps. Himes suffered from dementia, authorities said.
His disappearance resulted in searches by state police, volunteer firefighters, family and friends. But the searches yielded no clues.
Video from surveillance cameras at businesses and homes later showed a man believed to be Himes, walking on Cadogan Slate Lick Road around 2 a.m. Dec. 26. It appeared he was walking toward Ford City.
Despite having dementia, Himes was an active, older man who would go to work at a nearby supermarket while residing at Passavant, said Tom King, a Butler attorney who represents Passavant Memorial Home.
In January, officials with Passavant donated $10,000 and Himes' family offered another $2,000 for information leading to his whereabouts.
On March 30, workers at the Fox Chapel Yacht Club in Allegheny County discovered a body in the Allegheny River, apparently stuck under the dock.
Emergency crews reported the body appeared to have been in the water for a while.
The Allegheny Medical Examiner's Office pronounced the man dead and removed the body. Allegheny County homicide detectives were called in to investigate.
Himes' identification followed testing at the state police crime lab in Westmoreland County.
“We're terribly sorry to hear that Ken has passed,” King said Tuesday. “We extend prayers and condolences to his family. We're glad state police were able to identify his body and bring closure to the family.”
