Skeletal remains found Feb. 22 in Federal Way have been identified as a Lakewood man who was last seen nearly a year ago.
The King County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the remains as those of Faatoaga Tavita Ufuti, who was 43 when he was reported missing from his Lakewood home March 12, 2012.
The cause of his death is being investigated, officials said Wednesday.
Ufuti’s then-pregnant wife assumed he had run to the store when she woke up that morning and found her husband missing. He had a 1-year-old son and 3-year-old daughter at the time, and his wife was expected to give birth again in September.
A young boy playing in a wooded area found a bone Thursday night in the 36000 block of 20th Avenue Southwest, near Northeast Tacoma. Police secured the area Friday and found the remains about 100 feet from that bone.
Anyone with information was asked to call Federal Way police detective Jeff VanderVeer at 253-835-6791, or to email JeffV@cityoffederalway.com.
alexis.krell@thenewstribune.com
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