Bones found, but mystery of missing Norfolk man continues

It took nine years to find one answer to the mystifying disappearance of Howard "Britt" Fentress. That offers bittersweet comfort to his daughter, who finally gets to bury her father Saturday.

The Hanover County Sheriff's Office confirmed Thursday that bones discovered in June by a relic hunter were the partial remains of Fentress, a 77-year-old Norfolk man missing since October 2000.

Subsequent searches with dogs turned up nothing more, said Capt. Michael Trice, a Sheriff's Office spokesman. The identity of the remains was confirmed using DNA from family members.

Fentress, who lived in the 6400 block of Dove St., had driven to play in a seniors golf tournament in Richmond, checked into a hotel the night before, and disappeared. His locked Oldsmobile was found 36 miles away in a wooded area of Hanover County, north of Richmond, not far from King's Dominion. Extensive searches turned up nothing. His credit cards remained unused and his bank account untouched.

His family remained in limbo through the years. Fentress' wife died in 2004. Their daughter, Sherry Brown of Chesapeake, lost her husband earlier this year. The discovery of her father's remains about a quarter mile from his car left her with strongly mixed emotions, she said Thursday.

"Basically, our prayers have been answered," she said. "For me, not knowing was the hardest. It does bring some closure, but hopefully someday we'll find out what happened, because all we can do is speculate."

The cause of death remains undetermined, Trice and the Richmond-area state medical examiner's office said.

"They said there are no signs of foul play," Brown said. "It's still a mystery."

Added Trice: "Nine years later, we have another piece of the puzzle. But a lot of the puzzle remains."

Matthew Bowers, (757) 222-3893, matthew.bowers@pilotonline.com