Human remains found in Wayne County are from man about 30 years old, authorities say

The remains were found in the woods in the 600 block of Falling Creek Church Road in Goldsboro.

"Lots of bones, clothing and a cellphone," described Eugene Raynor, with Triangle East Timber.

Brant Parker, who surveyed the land and prepared it for the logging crew, said he was surprised by their discovery.

"It's something you think could happen, and it finally happened. I've been doing this for 25 years, and it finally happened," said Parker.

A report from the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner said the remains are those of a male who was about 30 years old. The age estimate is based on bone density and metal fillings in the teeth. The race of the individual has not been determined yet. There is a full-length rod in the left femur detectives hope will help identify him.

The Wayne County Sheriff's Office said there is not an answer yet about how he ended up there.

"Remote as probably a place you'd want to put a body if you were going to discard one, I guess you would say," said Raynor.

Because of those findings, detectives said the remains are not those of Cole Thomas.

"They had been searching with private investigators, cadaver dogs, within a mile of this property, so as a community, we just assumed it was Cole Thomas," said Raynor.

Thomas has been missing since November 2016. It was originally believed he disappeared in Johnston County, but his father, Chris Thomas, who has organized massive searches for him, has always believed his son was killed in Wayne County.

While people in the community are sad that this discovery brings no resolution to the Thomas family, they're very aware that another family is missing a loved one.

"It's very sad. I was hoping it was [Cole Thomas] so his family could have some type of closure. I'm very sorry for that and somebody else has lost a loved one, so there's two cases now," said Raynor.

Detectives are reviewing missing person reports for a possible match to the remains.