MEIGS COUNTY, Tenn. (WDEF) — Meigs County authorities found human remains while conducting a welfare check earlier this week.
On August 18, 2025 deputies with the Meigs County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) were dispatched to an area off Bowerman Lane to conduct a welfare check.
Deputies were checking on an older man who had not been seen in three to four weeks.
Upon arrival, deputies discovered a skull near a pair of jeans and a mandible near other clothing behind a pickup truck.
Officials also found a fenced enclosure with a shed and nearly a dozen dogs.
Investigators said exposure to the elements and animal activity limited the amount of remains recovered.
The MCSO says foul play is not suspected, and death is presumed natural.
Authorities believe the remains are those of Monty Ritter, a man in his mid-60s from Virginia.
Ritter lived in Meigs County while working at Solomon Industries in Decatur for about nine years.
Identification documents were found in a safe box inside the truck.
Positive identification through dental records or DNA testing is pending.
Officials are contacting Ritter’s distant relatives, and authorities are working to relocate the surviving dogs.
