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Bones Found In Wakefield Yard Identified As Missing Dracut Man

WAKEFIELD (CBS) – The human remains found outside a Lakeshore Drive residence have been identified as those of a man who has been missing for more than a year.

Clifford Bates, 54, of Dracut, was last seen in Wakefield on April 28, 2018. On April 29, 2018, his sister reported Bates missing after he walked away from a sober home that morning.

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Clifford Bates. (Photo credit: Wakefield Police Department)

Bates was identified through dental records, but investigators have not yet determined how he died.

A landscaper found Bates's remains, shoes and clothing under brush behind a shed Monday morning. The property where the bones were found was sold last month. Homeowner Patrick Sautier was having some work done before he moved in.

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Police said human remains were found behind a shed on Lakeshore Drive in Wakefield Monday (WBZ-TV)

A neighbor said the previous owner moved out a few years ago and rented the home to a sober house.

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