An employee with a real estate company was scouting a rural Iowa property for deer when he discovered human remains, authorities said.
Deputies with the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office and an agent with the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation responded to the private property in Hamburg at about 1 p.m. March 20, according to a news release.
Investigators confirmed human remains were found near the Missouri River, alongside a set of car keys and a gym pass, authorities said.
About three weeks later, on April 11, the remains were identified as Salvador Agustin Fonseca, of Springfield, Missouri. The 30-year-old man was last known to be seen on Feb. 28 in Springfield.
The keys found at the scene belonged to a 2015 Chevrolet Spark, according to the release.
Authorities said a 2015 Chevrolet Spark was recovered from a northbound area of Interstate 29 on March 6 as part of a theft investigation. They confirmed the vehicle belonged to someone in Springfield.
“Deputies tried to locate the owner of the vehicle, but he had left his last known address without letting them know where he had gone to,” authorities said.
Investigators are unsure why Fonseca stopped on the interstate, according to the release. It is believed he walked west from that spot to the Missouri River.
Foul play is not suspected in his death.
Hamburg is in the southwest corner of Iowa, about 300 miles northwest of Springfield.