A man who disappeared several months ago is believed to have died after falling into a crusher at a processing plant.
Duncan Alexander Burrell-Gordon, 20, was last seen at his workplace at a recycling and recovery facility in South Carolina on May 5.
Dried blood and human tissue were found on the conveyor belt of the machine Mr Burrell-Gordon was working on.
It matches his parents’ DNA, the Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office said.
The car was checked four times — including by his father, who was a factory supervisor, and police with a cadaver K-9 — before coroners arrived at the factory on June 14. according to Govt.
Investigators were able to recover 57g of material from the machine, which was mainly used to shred plastic but was capable of tearing metal.
It has continued to be used since Mr Burrell-Gordon went missing, with around 30 tonnes of plastic material processed since he was last seen.
“I can confirm that the material is consistent with human fat, microscopic particles of skin and a small piece of bone,” Spartanburg County Coroner Rusty Clevenger said in a news release.
He added that a death certificate will not be issued because the body has not been found, but state law provides other ways for the family to establish a death.
The Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office has closed its missing persons investigation and a new investigation into Mr. Burrell-Gordon’s death has been opened.
Officers declined to comment on whether it was considered an accident or a homicide, according to reports.
The South Carolina Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is also looking into the incident and whether there were any safety violations at the factory.
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