Human remains found in Demopolis

For the most part, not too much happens in the small West Alabama city of Demopolis, at least when it comes to investigations.

“We have no reason to believe this is an incident that normally would occur,” said Demopolis Police Department Sgt. Paul Johnson.

Founded back in 1817, Demopolis’s name means the “city of the people,” So when human remains were found earlier this month, it became the talk of the town.

“It is shocking because it does not happen often,” DPD Chief Rex Flowers said. “The investigators we have are trained and educated to deal with it. It is just part of a process.”

The remains were found off of Powe Road in Demopolis, which is a highly traveled area.

“(The remains) were not what you would call buried,” Johnson said. “They had some silting around them due to some water and runoff but they were not buried. Just kind of on the ground with some heavy vegetation around them.”

After getting several tips from the public, Demopolis investigators visited the area and found the remains. Investigators said the remains had been there for some time before being discovered.

That’s why the name of the deceased hasn’t yet been released.

“We could make some speculation, but we could not be certain on those,” Johnson said.

Missing person signs are hanging all around Demopolis, but Flowers said it’s too soon to say whether the remains are those of Damon Gibson, who hasn’t been seen since August.

“I don’t want to give anyone any anticipated hope or the opposite,” Flowers said. “I just want to say Demopolis is as safe as it always has been and it will continue to do so. If we get these type of crimes, they are going to be investigated and we are going to come to a conclusion. ”

The remains were sent to the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences in Montgomery for identification.

If you have any information on this case, please contact DPD at 334-289-3073.