OXNARD : Remains Identified as Missing Local Man
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The Ventura County coroner on Wednesday identified the remains of a man found Sunday in Los Padres National Forest as Kelly Neely, a 24-year-old Oxnard man reported missing last summer.
Coroner Deputy Jim Wingate said Neely had committed suicide. The cause of death was still under investigation, but investigators found a bottle of sleeping pills near Neely, Wingate said.
Sheriff’s investigators said Neely was reported missing last July. His family told authorities that Neely had been despondent over a drunk-driving arrest.
A Boy Scout troop hiking in the Matilija Canyon of the forest came across some of the man’s belongings Sunday, including identification, Ventura County Sheriff’s Lt. Larry Robertson said. Robertson said a search and rescue team then discovered the remains about 8 p.m.
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