DOLAN SPRINGS, AZ — Mohave County Sheriff’s officials say new DNA testing and a public tip helped identify a man who was found dead beneath a concrete slab in northern Arizona.
In August 2021, a Dolan Springs resident discovered human remains underneath a concrete slab that he was breaking up on his property.
Investigators believed the body had been buried underneath the concrete for at least 10 years and that the victim, a man, had died from a gunshot wound to the head. However, officials were unable to identify him.
Over the last few years, Othram Inc., a genetic testing lab, made attempts to identify the victim, but there were “no significant leads,” officials say. MCSO says investigators posted a social media request urging anyone with information to come forward.
At the end of July, investigators received a message from a woman who said her parents lived at the property where the remains were found. She said a man named Chett Williams lived with her parents in 1998-1999 and suddenly disappeared.
“When she asked her parents about him, they said he had just gone and left. She thought it odd because all his personal belongings were left behind,” MCSO said. “She also said that shortly after his disappearance, her parents poured a slab of concrete at the location.”
The woman’s parents, identified as Alvin and Bea Hamilton, died in 2006 and 2018, respectively.
Investigators located the possible family of Williams, who confirmed that he had gone to live with Bea Hamilton in Arizona.
Earlier this week, a familial DNA sample was completed and matched, positively identifying the victim as Chester “Chett” G. Williams III.
