On January 27, 1976, 22-year-old Kyle Clinkscales and his car went missing. He was last seen at the bar where he worked in Georgia and was planning to drive back to school in Alabama. However, he never made it there. Both Clinkscales and his white Ford Pinto were never seen again. That is until now.
Finally, in December 2021, someone just so happened to see a car in a creek in Cusseta, Alabama. When police arrived to pull it out, they found human remains along with a wallet. The ID and credit cards inside were matched to the missing man, and the license plate matched Kyle Clinkscales’ car. However, it wasn’t until this week that the local sheriff’s office in Georgia confirmed the remains belonged to the missing man.
Kyle Clinkscales and his car were recovered nearly half a century later
“On February 19, 2023, the Troup County Sheriff’s Office was notified by the Troup County Coroner’s Office that those remains were positively identified as that of Kyle Clinkscales,” a statement from the Troup County Sheriff’s Office read, per Fox 5 Atlanta. “The Coroner’s Office received this information from the GBI at which time they released it.”
Sadly, neither of Clinkscales’ parents is still alive to have heard the news. His father, John, died of a heart attack in 2007. His mother, Louise, passed away in early 2021. And while Clinkscales’ remaining family must be relieved to finally have closure, it’s still unclear how the man ended up in the creek to begin with. Without the cause of death and the manner, it’s hard to know whether it was an accident or something more sinister.
Police originally believed that Clinkscales had been killed. They even arrested two potential suspects for giving false statements. One person was released without charge while the other was given seven years and eight months in prison.
