Nearly five years after he went missing, the remains of Donald Westfall Jr have been found. The discovery came on March 25, 2023, when two hunters looking for deer antlers stumbled upon human remains in rural southern Indiana.
The hunters were searching through the area of US 231 and County Road 100 North when they came upon what they believed to be human bones and called 911, prompting an investigation.
During a press conference on March 26, 2023, State police confirmed that the remains had been positively identified as belonging to Donald Westfall Jr.
In a facebook post following the press conference, his family thanked everyone involved in helping find Westfall, including the two hunters, law enforcement, and “all of the people who have followed Donnie’s case online and helped keep his memory alive.”
The Disappearance of Donald Westfall Jr
40 year old Donald Westfall Jr. was last seen on the evening of June 26, 2018 in Boonville, Indiana. His abandoned vehicle was found early the next morning in Chrisney, Indiana.
Disappearance
On the evening of June 26, 2018, Donald Westfall Jr. was seen on surveillance footage at the Circle K store in Boonville, Indiana. He was with a few individuals, and it appears they headed east after leaving the store.
A missing person’s report was filed by his family on June 28, 2018.
The Spencer County Sheriff’s Office took the initial missing person’s report, and the Indiana State Police started assisting in the investigation three weeks later.
Investigation
On the morning of June 27, 2018, a man walking his dog found Donald’s abandoned vehicle, a brown cargo van, on the side of county road 150 East, between 900 and 1,000 North in Chrisney, Indiana.
The van was found undamaged with the keys still in the ignition, however the battery had been removed. A burner phone was located inside the vehicle, but it held little information.
The vehicle was towed to an impound lot rather than examined.
Authorities conducted multiple searches in the area, but no further trace of Donald was found.
The individuals who were with Donald at the Circle K on the night he went missing were questioned by police and failed multiple polygraph tests, but no suspects have named in his disappearance.
There has been no activity on Donald’s bank account or cell phone since he went missing.
Due to his history of substance abuse, his family says authorities did little investigating, assuming he was a runaway addict who did not want to be found.
Glad they found him for the family. It seems these small town police are useless, not just in this case.
They failed polygraph but, I guess, no further investigation.
I hope I never go.missing in a one horse town.
“It seems these small town police are useless, not just in this case.”
I guess Judy would prefer that police invent evidence to charge “suspect”?