Human Remains Believed To Be Missing NJ Man, Police Say

MILLVILLE, NJ - Human remains discovered in Louisiana Wednesday morning are believed to be that of a South Jersey man who was reported missing earlier this week.

Robert Owens Jr., 58, of Millville, was on a geocaching activity in Louisiana earlier this week when his vehicle was found off Messina Road without its owner, the Rapides Parish Sheriff’s Office said. A computer check of the vehicle indicated Owens went missing on Monday, the office said.

Geocaching is an outdoor activity in which participants use a Global Positioning System receiver or mobile device to hide and seek containers, or "caches," at various locations marked by coordinates all over the world.

At around 9 a.m. Wednesday, human remains were found in a densely wooded area near a creek around half a mile from the Messina Road trailhead, the sheriff’s office said in an update.

“Due to the severe decomposition of the remains, positive identification is pending,” the sheriff’s office said. “However, from clothing description and other physical characteristics, Sheriff’s Detectives believe this is Mr. Owens.”

An autopsy is pending.

The Louisiana Department Of Wildlife And Fisheries, the U.S. Forest Service, Oak Hill Fire Department, Alexandria Fire Department, Oak Hill Fire Department and Acadian Search and Rescue all helped in the days-long search, the sheriff's office said.

“His life was just starting,” Owens Jr.’s daughter, Gale Owens, said in a TikTok video Wednesday. “He just retired. And he’s been going on these trips for geocaching, and geocaching is his favorite thing ever … he’s been doing all this fun stuff on his bucket list.”

Those with any information about Owens Jr. are asked to contact the Rapides Parish Sheriff’s Office at 318-473-6700, Detective Tamiko Paulk at 319-473-6727 or local law enforcement.