Westmoreland police probe death after Patrick Miller found in Whithorn bushes

Investigators attached to the Whithorn Police in Westmoreland are examining how a 71-year-old retired auto parts dealer died after his decomposed remains were located in undergrowth within the Whithorn policing division early Sunday, seven days after he was reported missing on Monday, July 13.

The man has been named as Patrick Miller, also known as "Frank", of Porter's Mountain in Westmoreland. He was reportedly living with early dementia. Accounts indicate he disappeared from his community on the Monday in question.

At about 8:00 a.m. Sunday, people living in River Head, Whithorn, came upon Miller's body among the bushes and alerted the police. Officers who responded documented the scene before the remains were taken to the morgue ahead of a post-mortem examination.

An investigator speaking to CVM News said authorities are depending on that post-mortem to establish what caused his death, and that foul play remains possible until those findings are in hand.