BRANSON, Mo. — A man looking for deer antlers in Missouri found the remains of mixed martial arts fighter David Koenig, who has been missing for nearly two years, authorities said.
The remains, which were discovered on Dec. 22, were sent to a forensic odonatologist, according to a news release Monday from the Branson Police Department.
Police said a forensic pathologist determined there was no trauma and the death was not the result of foul play, KOLR-TV reported.
Koenig, an amateur martial arts fighter, had not been seen since Feb. 8, 2020, when he was at the Peach Tree Inn in Branson, the Branson Tri-Lakes News reported. Koenig sent text messages that night asking for help, the newspaper reported.
He was reported as missing in March 2020. Family members told the Tri-Lakes News that the delay was because Koenig was known to go “off the grid” and not use his phone for an extended period.
“Our department and the amazing group of volunteers never stopped in our efforts to find Mr. Koenig,” Branson Police Chief Jeff Matthews said in a statement. “While this is not the ending we hoped for, we offer our sincere condolences to the family and friends of Mr. Koenig.”A
A post on a Facebook page called “David Koenig Search Party,” requested privacy for Koenig’s family.
“We are in pain,” the post stated. “We need time and we need some peace right now. Please and thank you for your prayers.”
“He wasn’t robbed, as his tattered wallet was still intact as well as the two silver necklaces he always wore amongst some other things,” Koenig’s mother, Tracy Green Koenig, wrote in a Facebook post on Monday. “He left the Peachtree on foot and never made it home. Why he was in distress, and why he walked through the deep woods … we most likely will never know. But he is gone.”
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