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Timothy Anderson, 65, had been missing for two weeks according to the Mercer County Sheriff's Office. Human remains believed to belong to Anderson were located Tuesday morning.
CELINA - Authorities have found what they believe are the remains of missing 65-year-old Celina man Timothy Ray Anderson.
Human remains were located by authorities at about 11:30 a.m. Tuesday morning south of Hand Up Village, a temporary community designed to help county residents get their lives on track. The cluster of cabins is located in a wooded area near Abounding Grace Church in Celina.
Anderson was last seen at Hand Up Village on Aug. 3, according to Mercer County Sheriff Doug Timmerman.
"The location of where the remains were found is south of the Hand Up Village, and north of the city limits," reads a news release from the Mercer County Sheriff's Office. "This area is heavily wooded and covered in heavy vegetation. The remains and personal belongings are consistent with what Timothy Anderson was reported to having and wearing when he was reported missing on August 10, 2026."
The Mercer County Coroner's Office responded to the scene. Mercer County Coroner Alyssa Tobe has ordered an autopsy, and the human remains will be sent to Montgomery County.
Foul play is not suspected at this point, Timmerman told The Daily Standard.
"We're looking for them to be able to identify him, and obviously we want to make sure there are no signs of foul play or anything (and) that this is not a homicide," Timmerman said about the requested autopsy. "We're just wanting to rule out all those things."
Celina Police officers on Tuesday morning were searching for Anderson in the vicinity of where the human remains were later discovered.
"The area was initially being searched by members of the Celina Police Department due to the city owning land in that area," the release states. "Celina Police Officers located personal effects, and they contacted the Sheriff's Office. Mercer County Deputies and Detectives then joined the search and a cadaver dog from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources was called to the scene. The suspected human remains were found by the cadaver dog."
The Mercer County Sheriff's Office and the Celina Police Department were assisted on the scene by Les Bowen of Elite Drone Services.
The incident remains under investigation.
"Sheriff Timmerman wants to thank the citizens who called in several tips and leads. Those tips and leads were being followed up by Mercer County Deputies and Detectives," the release states.
Anderson was last seen on Aug. 3 at Hand Up Village, according to Timmerman.
That information was reported to the Mercer County Sheriff's Office by an out-of-state family member on Aug. 9, Timmerman told the newspaper.
"That's where he was last known to be staying and last that he was seen at. That was on Aug. 3. It was not reported to us until six or seven days later on the ninth that he was missing," he said.
When reported missing, Anderson was described as being 5 foot 11 inches tall and 180 pounds, with blonde/gray hair and blue eyes. He was last seen wearing jeans and a T-shirt and was possibly using a silver 10-speed bicycle, according to the sheriff's office.
In a social media post on Aug. 11, the sheriff's office also noted that the last phone activity put Anderson in the Celina area on Aug. 9.
