Remains are those of man who disappeared in 2000

Howard "Britt" Fentress can rest in peace now, but his disappearance nearly nine years ago remains a mystery.

A single bone discovered June 12 by a relic hunter in Hanover County turned out to be the remains of Fentress, a 77-year-old Norfolk man who vanished in October 2000 after driving to the Richmond area to play in a seniors golf tournament.

DNA obtained from family members helped authorities make the match. But police still don't know how or why he ended up in a sparsely settled area of Hanover after first checking in to the Holiday Inn-Central in the 3200 block of North Boulevard in Richmond on Oct. 2.

"There are still many pieces of this puzzle that remain unsolved," said Hanover sheriff's Capt. Michael Trice.

Fentress' locked car was found Oct. 7, 2000, along a power-line clearing 200 to 300 yards off Old Hickory Road, just west of Old Ridge Road, not far from Kings Dominion, Trice said.

"All his property was still well-maintained and within the vehicle," Trice said. "So it doesn't look like anything was missing."

Nearly nine years passed before the relic hunter discovered a single human bone about a quarter-mile from where the car was found.

"We only found one piece," and it contained animal gnaw marks, Trice said.

Two search teams with dogs canvassed the area June 18 and found nothing. Authorities returned July 5 with 10 search teams but again found no additional remains or clues, Trice said.

On Sept. 4, investigators were notified of the DNA match. But the remains were insufficient for the state medical examiner's office to determine how Fentress died.

"Obviously there are multiple theories as to how he and his vehicle got from Richmond up to a rural part of Hanover County," Trice said. "We're keeping an open mind on this."

Trice said at this stage of the investigation, there's nothing to suggest foul play.

"There was no information in Richmond that he was approached by anybody or had any problems in that area of the city," Trice said.

Trice said it's possible that Fentress became disoriented or lost and "found himself in a situation that was difficult to manage and wandered away from his vehicle. But we don't have all the pieces to make that conclusion at this time."

Investigators are committed to finding out what happened to Fentress, Trice said.

"It's almost been nine years, and we aggressively followed through on this lead," Trice said of the remains. "If another lead develops, we'll aggressively pursue that, [too]."

Today, family members will hold a funeral for Fentress in Norfolk. Burial will follow.

Contact Mark Bowes at (804) 649-6450 or .