Skeletal remains found in Towamencin Twp. pond identified as man who went missing 2 years ago

PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The Montgomery County Coroner's Office has identified human skeletal remains that were found in Towamencin Township four months ago.

Through DNA analysis, forensics experts were able to confirm the identify of Isaias Hernandez-Geronimo, 34, said Dr. Janine Darby, Montgomery County coroner, on Tuesday.

Geronimo had moved to the United States not long before he went missing two years ago, said Darby. He is survived by his wife, children and extended family, but no one filed a missing-person report at the time. Officials have not said where he emigrated from.

Geronimo had lived not far from the wooded site near Welsh Road and Grist Mill Drive where a surveyor, on March 18 of this year, discovered a human skull in a retention basin. The county coroner and the Towamencin Township Police Department secured the area and found more bones and some fragments of clothing, according to a police report at the time.

"Identifying skeletal remains is a meticulous process involving forensic anthropology, dental records (if available), DNA analysis, and other investigative techniques," Darby said in a public statement issued Tuesday. "Since the discovery, we have been working diligently with forensic experts to establish the identity of the remains."

Geronimo's family was notified of the identification before her office made any public announcement, said Darby. Based on interviews with the family and evidence gathered from the site, there is no indication that foul play was involved in his death, she said. However, the cause and manner of death have yet to be determined.