Coroner confirms identity of skeletal remains of man found in southern Illinois

The skeletal remains of a man found near Brownstown have been identified.

According to a news release from the Illinois State Police on Wednesday, the Fayette County Coroner’s office confirmed the man found dead was Joel Anthony Mason, a 33-year-old of Beaumont, Texas, man and formerly of Clinton, Illinois, which is near Decatur.

Mason was reported missing in Fayette County, Illinois, in August 2020. Then, on May 26, at approximately 3:30 p.m., Illinois State Police Division of Criminal Investigation Zone 8 was requested by the Fayette County Sheriff’s Department in reference to human skeletal remains found by a farmer in an agricultural field north of U.S. 40, in the area of 1700 N Street.

The investigation remains open and ongoing and no further information is available at this time, according to the Illinois State Police release.

Brownstown is approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes northeast of Belleville.

This story was originally published June 9, 2021 at 5:09 PM.