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Remains found in Mississippi River last year, linked to 17-year-old who went missing six years ago

Published

5 days ago

September 13, 2024

A 17-year-old who went missing six years ago has now been linked to remains that were found in the Mississippi River last year.

The La Crosse County medical examiner and a Mayo school of medicine in Arizona helped identify the remains of James B. Mummer, who was reported missing in September of 2018.

Mummer was 17 when he was last seen near the river on the south side of La Crosse. Police believe he may have been a runaway.

Mummer’s remains were found in the river in June of 2023, just south of La Crosse.

At that time, investigators found remains, which they thought might have passed through a lock and dam, and most of the clothing had deteriorated.

James Mummer was 17 in 2018 when he was reported missing.

Brad Williams

A native of Prairie du Chien, Brad graduated from UW - La Crosse and has worked in radio news for more than 30 years, mostly in the La Crosse area. He regularly covers local courts and city and county government. Brad produces the features "Yesterday in La Crosse" and "What's Buried on Brad's Desk." He also writes the website "Triviazoids," which finds odd connections between events that happen on a certain date, and he writes and performs with the local comedy group Heart of La Crosse. Brad been featured on several national TV programs because of his memory skills.