Page, N.D. – A man whose body was found near Page and was buried more than a half century ago has now been positively identified.
The Cass County Sheriff’s Office says the case dates back to the fall of 1970, when a man’s remains were located near some railroad tracks.
The case was investigated as a possible homicide, but a person of interest or suspect was never identified.
This past July 1st, the County Coroner’s Office in partnership with Southeast Missouri State University, exhumed the skeletal remains at Saint James Cemetery to identify the man.
The team traced the man’s identification using genealogical and other resources, thanks to a denture plate that was labeled “Tate W. H” and found a World War II enlistment record.
The person was identified as William Howard Tate.
While further identification continues, the county, along with Cass County Veteran Services, is creating a new headstone with the man’s actual name at the gravesite.
