A body found near the intersection of Carbonton and Pickard roads in western Lee County is under investigation by the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, which reported that the human remains were located near the last known location of a man who went missing in the fall.

Cory Moore was reported missing in September after leaving his grandmother’s Pickard Road home on foot. While deputies with the Lee County Sheriff’s Office said the condition of the human remains located recently were such that “the sex, gender, race or other identifying characteristics … were not obvious to investigators,” they did note that the location was “within half a mile of 96 Pickard Road,” which is the address from which Moore was reported missing.

The Sheriff’s Office press release indicated that the body was found around 1 p.m. Friday in “a heavily wooded area” by a couple who was looking at the tract with possible plans to purchase it.

According to the press release, Central Carolina Hospital EMS recovered the body, which has been sent to the state Medical Examiner’s Office for an autopsy and identification.