By June 5, the evidence being found near Reggie’s car was becoming increasingly difficult to ignore. Human bone fragments, clothing and now a skull had been recovered from the surrounding woods.

But the remains had still not been positively identified as Reggie’s.

Waiting for Identification

Within our family, we did not all react to what was being found in the same way. Some of us increasingly believed that the search had reached its conclusion, while my brother continued to believe that the remains were not Reggie’s. He held onto that belief for some time afterward.

The RCMP was also careful not to make an identification before the evidence supported it. As Sgt. Don MacGregor explained in this article, determining the identity of the remains was now their immediate priority.

The article also began to provide possible explanations for some of the things that had puzzled us during the search. The forensic pathologist discussed the effects that animal scavenging and the environment could have on remains and noted that some causes of death, including hypothermia, might leave no evidence detectable from skeletal remains.

For our family, however, the central question remained unresolved: Was it Reggie?