GREENWOOD, Ind. (TND) — Human remains discovered by children 31 years ago in Greenwood, Indiana have been identified as a South Carolina man, according to authorities.

Family members of Michael Benjamin Davis reported losing track of him in the 1980s, according to the Johnson County Coroner's Office.

In 1993, children discovered skeleton remains in a field near I-65 in what is now the Otte Golf Course, according to Othram, a lab that works to assist police in human identification cases.

The remains were taken to the University of North Texas for further examination where Othram said it was determined the person was a man between the ages of 14 and 30 years old and stood between 4 feet 10 inches and 5 feet 4 inches.

"Despite extensive efforts by law enforcement investigators to identify the man, no matches were found, and the case went cold due to a lack of investigative leads," Othram said.

DNA testing and genealogy work helped scientists identify the remains, the coroner's office said.

"After months of emails, phone calls, and assistance from other law enforcement agencies across the U.S. and Canada, we were able to locate potential family members who received DNA kits funded by Indianapolis-based Audiochuck / Crime Junkie Podcast Founder and CEO Ashley Flowers and distributed by Othram," a release stated.

The coroner's office was then able to identify the remains nearly six months later.

"This is Johnson County's only known unidentified set of remains," the coroner added.

Officials said that even though the case has long been suspected of having been a homicide, the cause and manner of death have been ruled undetermined unless more information is found.

Davis's family will travel to Indiana to claim the remains of the Richland County native. He would have been in his mid-20s at the time of his death, according to the coroner.

The coroner's office credited the Greenwood Police Department, the University of Indianapolis and the Othram Forensic DNA Testing Laboratory with helping make significant progress in the case.