A Missouri man scavenging for deer antlers in the southern part of the state instead found human remains. Authorities have since confirmed they belong to deceased mixed martial artist David Koenig, who disappeared nearly two years ago.
“On Wednesday, December 22, 2021, a man who was looking for deer antlers located suspected human remains in the woods near the 3700 block of Fall Creek Road,” said the Branson Police Department Community Manager Melody Pettit. “Officers from the Branson Police Department responded and confirmed that the remains were human.
“Investigators from the Branson Police Department and the Taney County Coroner’s Office conducted a meticulous search of the area, recovering most of the remains and several other personal articles,” she said in the statement (.pdf).
A police forensic pathologist examined the remains and concluded that there was no evidence of trauma and that the death “did not appear to be the result of foul play.”
Koenig disappeared around February 2020. According to reports at the time, he texted several people to tell them he was in danger and was looking for help.
A missing persons report was filed about a week later. According to his mother, Tracy Koenig, her son was fighting problems with “on and off” substance abuse problems, and it wasn’t unusual for him to go “off the grid” for a few days or longer without contacting friends and family, reports Outdoor Life.
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“It wasn’t uncommon for him to go off somewhere and not communicate with us for days and even weeks” she told the Branson Tri-Lake News. “We really thought at first it was exactly what he was doing.”
His family will always remember him as “literally larger than life,” she told Fox News. “Not just physically, but in everything about him. He was a big, beautiful, gentle giant with a heart of gold.”
“Our department and the amazing group of volunteers never stopped in our efforts to find Mr. Koenig,” Branson Police Chief Jeff Matthews said. “While this is not the ending we hoped for, we offer our sincere condolences to the family and friends of Mr. Koenig.”