Logan Bowman, 5, went missing 20 years ago. Now his remains have been identified.

Jeanine Santucci / USA TODAY

Published December 25, 2023 2:51pm EST

Human remains discovered in Virginia were identified as belonging to a 5-year-old boy who went missing over 20 years ago, police said.

Logan Nathaniel Bowman went missing in January 2003, and his mother, Cynthia Davis, and her then-boyfriend, Dennis Schermerhorn, were charged in the child's disappearance. The Carroll County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement on social media last week that additional charges are expected to be filed.

Logan's remains were discovered in September 2022 in Galax, Virginia, the sheriff's office said.

Remains found nearly 20 years after disappearance

His remains were discovered in a wooded area of Galax, a southwestern Virginia city of about 6,700 residents, on Sept. 6, 2022, the sheriff's office said. They had been there "for an extended period of time," investigators determined.

Logan Nathaniel Bowman went missing in January 2003

Investigators worked with Texas-based forensic genealogy company Othram Inc. to use DNA and compare it to Logan's relatives, confirming the identity of the remains.

The remains were in a trash can, according to DNASolves.com, a site owned by Othram. Also found with the body were a sleeping bag, a Winnie the Pooh blanket and a cloth fragment, the site said.

Logan went missing from nearby Grayson County in 2003 in what DNASolves.com said was "suspicious circumstances." The site said he was entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System, which noted Logan had a healing fracture in his left arm, tooth decay and burn scars on his feet. Logan's case in the NamUs system is no longer available online.

The boy's father, Wayne Bowman, told WFXR after the remains were identified that Logan was a "good kid" and he would finally be able to give him a proper burial. Wayne Bowman said he hopes the identification of his son's remains could lead to justice.

"I can go on, I know where he’s at now. I don’t have to worry where he’s at. I know it hurts, but it’s going to be OK," Wayne Bowman said.

Mother, boyfriend could face additional charges

Davis pleaded guilty to two counts of child neglect and one count of homicide, court records show. She was sentenced to 10 years for each count of child neglect and 30 years for homicide, with a suspended sentence of 15 years in prison and 15 years of probation.

Davis had been released from prison before her son's remains were identified, following her sentence for the earlier convictions, Carroll County Sheriff Kevin Kemp told USA TODAY.

Schermerhorn was sentenced to a year in jail for one charge of child neglect, according to court records. A murder charge and another child neglect charge filed against Schermerhorn were later dropped, the records show.

"We are still exploring our options for additional charges," Richard Vaughan, sheriff in Grayson County where Logan went missing, told USA TODAY on Wednesday.

Neither Davis nor Schermerhorn was in police custody or currently incarcerated, Kemp and Vaughan said.

Attorneys listed for Davis and Schermerhorn in their previous court cases could not be reached.

Logan Bowman, 5, went missing 20 years ago. Now his remains have been identified.

Logan Bowman，5岁，20年前失踪，现在他的遗体被确认了

Human remains discovered in Virginia were identified as belonging to a 5-year-old boy who went missing over 20 years ago, police said.

警方称，在Virginia发现的人类残骸被确认属于一名20年前失踪的5岁男孩。

Logan Nathaniel Bowman went missing in January 2003, and his mother, Cynthia Davis, and her then-boyfriend, Dennis Schermerhorn, were charged in the child's disappearance. The Carroll County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement on social media last week that additional charges are expected to be filed.

Logan Nathaniel Bowman于2003年一月份失踪，它的母亲Cynthia Davis和她当时的男朋友Dennis Schermerhorn因孩子失踪受到指控。Carroll县警长办公室上周在社交媒体上发表声明称，预计他们将会有更多指控。

Logan's remains were discovered in September 2022 in Galax, Virginia, the sheriff's office said.

警长办公室表示，Logan的遗体于2022年9月在Virginia州的Galax县被发现。

Remains found nearly 20 years after disappearance

遗体在消失近20年后被发现

His remains were discovered in a wooded area of Galax, a southwestern Virginia city of about 6,700 residents, on Sept. 6, 2022, the sheriff's office said. They had been there "for an extended period of time," investigators determined.

警长办公室表示，他的遗体于2022年9月6日在Virginia州一约有6700名居民的西南部城市Galax的一片树林中被发现。调查人员认定，它们在那里已经有“很长一段时间了”。

Investigators worked with Texas-based forensic genealogy company Othram Inc. to use DNA and compare it to Logan's relatives, confirming the identity of the remains.

调查人员与德州的法医宗谱公司Othram合作，使用DNA技术对比了Logan的亲属，确认了遗体的身份。

The remains were in a trash can, according to DNASolves.com, a site owned by Othram. Also found with the body were a sleeping bag, a Winnie the Pooh blanket and a cloth fragment, the site said.

据Othram旗下的DNASolves.com网站称，遗体在一个垃圾桶里，与尸体一起被发现的还有一个睡袋、一条小熊维尼毯子和一块布碎片。

Logan went missing from nearby Grayson County in 2003 in what DNASolves.com said was "suspicious circumstances." The site said he was entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System, which noted Logan had a healing fracture in his left arm, tooth decay and burn scars on his feet. Logan's case in the NamUs system is no longer available online.

2003年，Logan在DNASolves.com称为可疑地点的附近的Grayson县失踪，该网站称，Logan之前已进入国家失踪和身份不明人员系统，该系统指出Logan左臂骨折愈合，蛀牙，脚上有烧伤疤痕。Logan在NamUs系统中的案例已经不再能查询到。

The boy's father, Wayne Bowman, told WFXR after the remains were identified that Logan was a "good kid" and he would finally be able to give him a proper burial. Wayne Bowman said he hopes the identification of his son's remains could lead to justice.

在遗体被确认后，男孩的父亲Wayne Bowman告诉《WFXR》Logan是一个好孩子，他最终会给他一个合适的葬礼。Wayne Bowman称他希望儿子遗体的确认能够得到正义伸张。

"I can go on, I know where he’s at now. I don’t have to worry where he’s at. I know it hurts, but it’s going to be OK," Wayne Bowman said.

“我能继续下去了，我现在知道他在哪里了，我不需要再担心他在哪里了。我知道这很痛苦，但会好起来的”，Wayne Bowman说道。

Mother, boyfriend could face additional charges

母亲、男朋友会面临额外的指控

Davis pleaded guilty to two counts of child neglect and one count of homicide, court records show. She was sentenced to 10 years for each count of child neglect and 30 years for homicide, with a suspended sentence of 15 years in prison and 15 years of probation.

法庭记录显示，Davis承认两项忽视儿童罪和一项杀人罪。她因每一项忽视儿童罪被判处10年监禁，因杀人罪被判处30年监禁，缓刑15年监禁和缓刑15年（不太懂）。

Davis had been released from prison before her son's remains were identified, following her sentence for the earlier convictions, Carroll County Sheriff Kevin Kemp told USA TODAY.

Davis因先前的定罪被判刑后，在儿子的遗体被确认之前，她已经从监狱获释，Carroll县警长Kevin Kemp告诉《今日美国》。

Schermerhorn was sentenced to a year in jail for one charge of child neglect, according to court records. A murder charge and another child neglect charge filed against Schermerhorn were later dropped, the records show.

根据法庭记录，Schermerhorn因一项忽视儿童罪被判处1年监禁。记录显示，对Schermerhorn提出的谋杀指控和另一项忽视儿童的指控后来被撤销了。

"We are still exploring our options for additional charges," Richard Vaughan, sheriff in Grayson County where Logan went missing, told USA TODAY on Wednesday.

“我们仍在寻找其他指控”，Logan失踪地Grayson县警长Richard Vaughan周三告诉《今日美国》。

Neither Davis nor Schermerhorn was in police custody or currently incarcerated, Kemp and Vaughan said.

Kemp和Vaughan说，Davis和Schermerhorn目前都没有被警方拘留或监禁。

Attorneys listed for Davis and Schermerhorn in their previous court cases could not be reached.

目前无法联系到Davis和Schermerhorn在之前法庭案件中的律师。