Part of the remains found in garbage bags four decades ago have now been identified as belonging to guitarists of a well-known American band

Recently, some of the human remains found in a garbage bag nearly 40 years ago have been identified as the remains of Frank Little, a member of the well-known American blues band "the O'jays".

The Police Department of Twinsburg, Ohio, announced tuesday that it had identified the remains found on Feb. 18, 1982, by testing the DNA of Little's relatives to match it. Police said authorities knew little about Little's disappearance and death.

Little is understood to have grown up in Cleveland. In the mid-1960s, he was the guitarist and composer of the band O'Jays. The band released a statement saying he was a member of the band in the early days, and later Little fell in love with a woman in Cleveland who he missed so much that he quickly returned to Cleveland and hasn't heard from him since. The statement said the band members "wish Little's family and friends an end to this very sad story".

Little reportedly served in the U.S. Army for two years and fought in the Vietnam War. He has a daughter who died in 2012, and he also has a son whose whereabouts are unknown.

Police said some of the remains were found in garbage bags behind a now-closed shop in Twinsburg. A staff member of the company found a skull in the snow forty years ago, and then the police found the bag. At the time, police believed the bones were several years old and showed signs of blunt trauma. The police ruled dead because he was killed. It was also noted that the remains belonged to an African-American male, aged between 20 and 35 years old and about 1.67 meters tall, who may have suffered from kyphosis deformity, or curvature of the spine.

But the identity of the remains remained a mystery for nearly 40 years, until after a collaboration with the DNA Doe project began in October, when the group provided the names of potential relatives and provided Police with Little's name and a DNA sample.

The sample was analyzed by the Ohio Crime Bureau's Crime Laboratory, and Little's identity was subsequently confirmed by Dr. Lisa Kohler of the Summit County Forensic Office.

Detective Twainsburg Detective Eric Handelchott said: "It's definitely a good thing that we can give this family some information about Little and hopefully they'll have an end." He had a life of his own, and eventually he ended his life in Twinsburg, where his life was taken by another man. ”

According to police, Little last appeared in public view in the mid-1970s, when he lived in Cleveland about 24 miles from where the body was found.

For now, police are continuing to investigate the case to determine exactly what happened to Little. His body will be handed over to relatives for burial.

Wuhan Morning Post intern reporter Chen Mengting