On April 8, 2022, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office received a call that human remains had been discovered east of Fairfield. When deputies located the remains near the Fairfield Loop Trail and the Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad tracks, they were determined to belong to an adult male.

After an investigation launched by the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, the individual has been identified as Harold “Hal” Bennett. Bennett had been reported missing to the Fairfield Police Department in the fall of 2020. There was determined to be no evidence of foul play.

Assisting the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office with the investigation were the Fairfield Police Department, Fairfield Fire Department, Jefferson County Medical Examiner, Iowa Office of State Medical Examiner, Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation-DNA Unit, and the Jackson Police Department in Wyoming.