Investigators have identified the skeletal human remains found in January in a wilderness area southeast of Molalla.
The human remains are those of Kenneth Lee Bell, born 1957, formerly of Contra Costa County, California.
He was identified from personal effects found with the body, and a DNA confirmation is currently underway.
Kenneth Bell's mother (now deceased) had reported her son missing in 1979, when he would have been 22 years old. He appears to have disappeared while traveling from the Bay Area to Washington State to visit family.
Bell worked in the timber industry in the late 1970s, and frequented the Portland area in that time period.
If you knew Kenneth Lee Bell in the late 1970s, detectives would like to hear from you. You can contact the Sheriff's Office Tip Line by phone at 503-723-4949 or by using the online email form at https://www.clackamas.us/sheriff/tip. Please reference CCSO Case #21-000584.