Putnam County Sheriff Eddie Farris said the skeletal remains found in Monterey have been identified as 69-year-old Kevin Sharp of Rutherford County.
The discovery occurred March 29 when individuals searching for mushrooms located the remains in a wooded area between Highway 70 and Interstate 40. The identification follows a missing person investigation that began in May 2024 after authorities received reports that Sharp might be traveling to the area to harm himself.
“I will say that this is never the outcome that we hope for in a missing person case, certainly not, and want to make sure we keep our thoughts and prayers for Mr. Sharp’s family to navigate through this difficult time,” Farris said. “It’s never easy. Not sure what was going on with Mr. Sharp in his life at the time, but this is never a good thing.”
Farris said the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office found Sharp’s black Subaru abandoned at mile marker 298 on May 5, 2024. Farris said investigators previously conducted a search of the rough terrain with agencies from Rutherford County but were unable to locate Sharp at that time.
“And of course, initially early on we couldn’t say this, but in the jean pocket of the remains, we found a Subaru key fob, so we were pretty confident along with some other things that that’s what it was,” Farris said. “But we certainly feel like that unfortunately that Mr. Sharp took his own life, and so we’ll continue working the case, but we do have the remains identified.”
Farris said the medical examiner used dental records to confirm the identity of the remains. Farris said while the department believes the cause of death was suicide, investigators are still exploring all angles to ensure the case is thoroughly resolved.
“I mean, as soon as you find something that’s not correct, please call the Sheriff’s Office and the authorities and we’ll start the investigation,” Farris said. “I mean, this could very easily have been a homicide. We’re still working it as what we believe is a suicide, but we’re working it as if something could have happened.”
Farris said the department is not currently working any other active missing persons cases from recent years. Farris said the increase in such incidents is a symptom of the region’s growth and its location as a central travel corridor in Tennessee.
“And just call us, I mean, we will, you know, we’re going to do everything and we’ll leave no stone unturned making sure we hopefully get the person identified and trying to find out exactly what happened to them,” Farris said.