Dec 18, 2015 2 min read

WAYNESBURG – State police said Friday afternoon that the body found in Franklin Township nearly four months ago is that of a missing West Virginia man.

Investigators identified the body of John Kirby Raikes, 57, of Fairmont, who had been missing since late June, using dental records and items collected at the scene, state police Sgt. Steven Dowlin said.

Dowlin said an autopsy was performed on the body and investigators do not suspect foul play in his death. The body was discovered Aug. 21 by children riding all-terrain vehicles in a wooded area near the Bortz car dealership along Route 21.

“There’s no indication that foul play was involved, but we’ll continue to investigate further,” Dowlin said. “It will bring some closure to the family that Mr. Raikes has been identified. I want to assure the public that they should feel safe in their homes and can go about their business as usual.”

Dowlin said they suspected early in the investigation that the body belonged to Raikes.

“We found some items in the scene that it was indeed this individual,” Dowlin said. “However, without 100 percent confirmation, we were not going to release his identity.”

A car belonging to Raikes was found June 27 in the Econo Lodge parking lot a couple hundred feet from where his body was discovered. Raikes was last seen at his Fairmont home June 20, police in West Virginia previously said.

Police do not know why Raikes was in the area or whether he stayed at the motel, Dowlin said.