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Des Moines police ID human remains founded in wooded area

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October 15th, 2019 by Ric Hanson

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Police have identified the person whose remains were found last week in a homeless camp near downtown Des Moines. Police said Tuesday in a news release that the remains are those of 23-year-old Marshal Aaron Terrell Johnson, of Des Moines. Police say the identification was made through “an extensive forensic examination.”

Detectives are investigating Johnson’s death as a homicide. His remains were found Oct. 8 after police received a tip that led investigators to a wooded area behind an abandoned manufacturing plant. Police Sgt. Paul Parizek said at the time that the body had been “cleverly concealed.”

Police have not yet shared other details of how Johnson died and say the body was likely in the area for a few months.