GRAYSON —
A body found near Grayson Lake on Sunday night has been identified as a missing man from Olive Hill.
Kentucky State Police, based on initial results from the Kentucky Medical Examiner’s Office and evidence recovered at the scene, said the remains are those of Nathan Barker, who was last seen more than a year ago.
Hikers found the skeletal remains of Barker near Clifty Creek on Sunday night. They called state police, who recovered the remains just after 11 p.m. A search of the area near the remains turned up a wallet with identification and also contained “other credentials,” according to the KSP.
The remains were found in a remote site about two miles up Airport Road off Ky. 7. The location required a boat, ropes or considerable skill at climbing, the KSP said.
The remains were found less than two miles from where Barker’s car was when he disappeared in July 2011.
Carter County Sheriff’s Department deputies found Barker’s maroon Cadillac smashed into a guardrail along Ky. 7 near Grayson Lake, but saw no sign of Barker. The front end and windshield were damaged, but there was no sign of injury.
Officials and family members searched for Barker, but he wasn’t found.
At the time of the incident, investigators were looking into the possibility of ties to the unsolved murder of Dillon “Nemo” Bryant.
The crash site of Barker’s car was not far from where a farmer found the body of Bryant at the bottom of a farm pond in April 2011. The 20-year-old was shot and killed before he was dumped in the pond, according to KSP detectives.
Bryant and Barker reportedly had ties, officials said at the time.
Barker was 20 when he was reported missing. He spent time with a group of friends at home off Three Pine Road on the evening of July 11, 2011. He was last seen driving away in the early-morning hours of July 12.
Positive identification of Barker is pending completion of DNA testing. The cause and manner of death are still under investigation by KSP Detective Ben Cramer.
The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife, the sheriff’s department, the Grayson Volunteer Fire Department and the Carter County Coroner’s Office responded and assisted with recovery of the remains Sunday night.
MARK MAYNARD can be reached at mmaynard@dailyindependent.com or (606) 326-2648. LEEANN AKERS of the Journal-Times in Grayson contributed to this story.
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