Remains of Missing Centre County Man Found; No Foul Play Suspected

Updated 4:51 p.m. Oct. 21, 2025.

The remains of a 78-year-old Centre County man reported missing last December have been located and no foul play is suspected in his death, Centre County Coroner Scott Sayers said on Tuesday.

Leon Bowman’s remains were discovered on Sept. 9 by a deputy game warden in a wooded area on Bowman’s Curtin Township property, Sayers said. Bowman, who was 77 years old at the time he was reported missing, was subsequently identified through dental records.

An autopsy was conducted and the cause of death was ruled undetermined. The remains showed no gunshot wound or other signs of trauma, and the death is not believed to be suspicious, Sayers said.

State police are continuing to investigate.

Bowman was reported missing on Christmas Eve and had last been seen a day earlier near his mailbox on Howard Divide Road. Police said at the time that he “may be at special risk of harm or injury, or may be confused.”