What would you do if you were thinking of moving into a house and the inspector found the skeletal remains of a man in the chimney? Well, while that isn’t entirely what happened in Louisiana, but it isn’t far off.
A contractor found the remains of a man that had been missing for more than 27 years in the chimney of the Abbeville National Bank. The bones were recovered during a recent renovation back in May, but DNA results have only just concluded the man’s identity – Joseph Schexnider.
Schexnider disappeared at the age of 26 back in 1984. His family and friends simply thought he had decided to move away and not tell anyone where he was going. This is the first time we’ve ever heard of a missing person being recovered from a chimney.
It took so long for the lab to identify the remains because there were no dental records and testing had to rely on DNA testing. Investigators cannot determine a cause of death, but the bones show no trauma. Work gloves were also found in the chimney.
The only reason the body was even found is that the bank wants to expand its office space. Originally, the space on the second floor of the building where the remains were found was used for storage.
Although we may never know why Schexnider was in the chimney or how he died, at least his family can finally move on knowing what happened to him.
Jon Huser
