MARTINSVILLE — The remains of a man who was reported missing in August 2023 have been found and identified, according to authorities, and a 39-year-old suspect is in custody in connection to the incident.

Corey Brock, of Martinsville, is being held on a $25,000 bond at the Clinton County Jail on a third-degree felony charge of tampering with evidence, according to a news release provided by the Clinton County Sheriff’s Office.

On Monday, the sheriff’s office, with assistance from the Clinton County Prosecutor’s Office, Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation (B.C.I.), the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR), Natural Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB), and Homeland Security Investigation (HSI), executed search warrants on properties around State Route 134 S, Martinsville.

This was in relationship to a missing person investigation.

“It has been confirmed that the remains are that of Chad Pauley, 39, who was reported missing in August of 2023,” the release states.

The first search warrant was served on Brock’s residency on State Route 134 South, where Brock and two others were taken into custody. The names of the other two individuals have not yet been released.

“ODNR cadaver canines were deployed in the area at which time they led their handlers to an adjoining property where a second search warrant was executed ultimately locating a burial site and remains of the unidentified individual,” the release states.

The remains were taken to the Miami Valley Coroner’s Office, on the direction of the Clinton County Coroner, in order to identify the remains.

The case remains under investigation with further charges pending upon the case’s conclusion, according to Clinton County Sheriff Ralph Fizer Jr.

Fizer Jr. expressed gratitude to the sheriff’s office detectives and the other agencies for help, according to the release. He also expressed gratitude to the Clinton County Engineer’s Office, which provided the heavy equipment needed to recover the remains.