RICHMOND, Va. (WTVR)--It had been two-years since Wardell Grant Jr. saw his father, when he saw a replica of his dad on television, created by investigators to help solve cold cases.
Wardell Grant, Sr., then aged 73, disappeared from the Highland Park high rise for the elderly, known simply as 1611 4th Avenue. He was known as a wanderer around the area.
Police say a passerby collecting scrap metal spotted human remains in the wooded area about four blocks from the senior home.
Investigators discovered the remains near a ravine,and they said had distinct characteristics.
"The knee replacement, and the rod through the leg; that's kind of unique," said Det. Williams. " That's something you don't see everyday," he said.
On Tuesday, the Chief Medical Examiner showed off models of five heads investigators recreated based on skeletal remains found in Central Virginia.
One of the models, cold case number 9764, jogged the memory of one of victim's family members, who called the station late at night.
"It helped. It helped a whole lot like,” said Grant, Jr., “as soon as I seen him, I knew it was him."
Richmond Police say it could take several weeks or even months for a DNA match. But police say they are 95-percent sure, the human remains are that of Wardell Grant, Sr.
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It was right around this area that he his remains were located. The marker is where the home is located.