The death of a Plum man whose remains were found in Penn Hills more than a year after he went missing is being investigated as a homicide, authorities said.
The Allegheny County Medical Examiner's Office ruled the death of Zackery Sheets, 19, a homicide on Thursday. A hiker found his skeletal remains in a wooded area off Milltown Road last week, and dental records linked the remains to Sheets.
County spokeswoman Amie Downs said the ruling was the result of information detectives developed over the course of the ongoing investigation, leading them to believe that Sheets' death was not accidental. Officials were not releasing any other details at this time, she said.
Allegheny County police said Sheets left his home in Plum the night of Feb. 19, 2017, and never returned; he was officially declared missing in March.
His official cause of death remains undetermined.
Anyone with information about his disappearance and death is asked to call the Allegheny County Police tip line at 833-255-8477.
Matthew Santoni is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at 724-836-6660, msantoni@tribweb.com or via Twitter @msantoni.
