SNOW HILL -- The human remains found late last month in a water-filled ditch in a residential area in Snow Hill have been identified as a Snow Hill man reported missing in May.

On July 29, an unidentified individual reported to the Snow Hill Police Department the discovery of possible human remains in a water-filled ditch at the end of Woodland Court. The Worcester County Bureau of Investigation (WCBI) responded to the scene and located a human skull in the ditch and the rest of the body approximately 20 yards away in the same ditch.

The preliminary investigation revealed the remains were those of a white male, but no other identification could be made at the scene at the time of the discovery. The remains were taken to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore for an autopsy and further investigation. The autopsy positively identified the remains as Keith Allen Gordon, 60, of Snow Hill, who had been reported missing from the county seat on May 9.

The positive identification was made from a prosthetic hip. Gordon had hip replacement surgery in June of 2000. The cause of death has not been determined pending toxicology reports. However, foul play is not suspected at this time.