Antioch skull found in 2024 identified as missing Murfreesboro man after DNA testing

Identification closes one question, leaves others unanswered

Authorities have identified a human skull found in Antioch in April 2024 as belonging to Stanley Dotson Wise III, a 34-year-old man reported missing from Murfreesboro in April 2024. The identification was made through DNA testing, roughly a year after the skull was recovered.

The remains were discovered along Collins Creek in Antioch, where the skull was found among debris associated with floodwaters. No additional remains have been publicly confirmed as recovered in connection with the case, and investigators have not determined a cause of death based on the available evidence.

Timeline: last confirmed sighting, missing-person report, and recovery

Publicly released case information indicates Wise was last seen in September 2023 at a Kroger on Veterans Parkway in Murfreesboro. He was reported missing on April 17, 2024. Later that month, the skull was located in Antioch and submitted for DNA analysis, a process that ultimately led to the positive identification in late April 2025.

Investigators have not announced the recovery of Wise’s vehicle, described in the missing-person report as a gray or silver Honda Accord. The absence of other remains, and the lack of a publicly stated cause and manner of death, means the circumstances surrounding Wise’s disappearance remain unresolved.

What DNA confirmation does—and does not—answer

DNA identification establishes the identity of the deceased and can provide families and investigators with clarity about who the remains belong to. It does not, on its own, determine how or when death occurred. In cases where remains are limited, forensic conclusions about cause of death may be impossible, particularly when soft tissue is absent and the recovered material provides no definitive evidence of trauma.

Investigators have described the matter as an active investigation. Loved ones have raised concerns about potential foul play, while authorities have indicated that, at present, they cannot determine whether foul play occurred based on the evidence available.

Key facts released so far

• Remains found: a skull recovered along Collins Creek in Antioch in April 2024, in debris associated with floodwaters.

• Identity: Stanley Dotson Wise III, 34.

• Last known sighting: September 2023 at a Kroger on Veterans Parkway in Murfreesboro.

• Missing-person report: April 17, 2024.

• Forensic status: no publicly stated cause of death; no other remains publicly confirmed in the same recovery.

With only partial remains recovered, identification can be definitive while the circumstances of death remain undetermined.

What comes next in the investigation

Any next steps depend on whether additional remains or associated evidence can be located and verified, including potential recovery of personal items, digital records, or the missing vehicle described in the original report. Until investigators can establish more physical or documentary evidence, the case is likely to remain open with unanswered questions about the period between Wise’s last confirmed sighting and the recovery of the skull months later.