Bones that were discovered over a year-long span belong to an Alabama man who vanished in 2024, officials announced this week.
Curtis Taylor Jr., 25, lived across the street from the Center Point property where a dog was found with a human skull in August 2024. WBRC reported that authorities got involved after the dog brought the unidentified skull — which had a gunshot wound — to its owner.
Four months later, the same dog brought a tibia bone to its owner. By March 2025, officials determined the two bones belonged to the same person.
AL.com reported that in April 2025, the dog was discovered with another tibia bone in the yard. A follow-up search turned up a mandible.
Officials confirmed the latest two bones also belonged to the same person. A GPS tracker was ultimately placed on the dog to understand where they were finding the bones.
According to AL.com, investigators did not locate any more bones despite studying the dog’s roaming patterns. By August 2025, however, skeletal remains were discovered on wooded property belonging to Taylor’s family. The property was located across the street from the dog’s owner’s home.
On Thursday, Jefferson County police told AL.com that all of the bones belong to Taylor — who was last seen alive on February 6, 2024.
Taylor, who was legally blind but had some vision, was living with his mother when he told her he was going to his father’s home, which is also in Center Point. Taylor’s mother reportedly believed he was with his father, but alarms were raised when she did not hear from him for two weeks. The mother later learned Taylor never made it to his father’s home, according to AL.com.
The dog who discovered Taylor’s bones — a German Shepherd mix named Chicharin — was fatally hit by a car after discovering the last set of bones. Chicharin’s owner told WBRC that she finds the situation suspicious because there are stop signs and speed bumps in the area.
Meanwhile, Chief Deputy Coroner Bill Yates told AL.com that DNA and dental records were used to identify the bones.. Taylor’s death is being investigated as a homicide.
Anyone with information regarding this case should call Jefferson County investigators at 205-325-1450 or Crime Stoppers at 205-254-7777.
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[Feature Photo: Jefferson County coroner]