A body found near Trope Hill Road on Thursday is that of James “Travis” Price, 31, according to his family.
However, Monongalia County Sheriff Perry Palmer would not confirm that information Friday.
Price’s father, Jim Price, said he’s unhappy with the way the sheriff’s office has conducted the investigation so far.
Friday morning, the department announced it recovered a body near Trope Hill Thursday evening. Jim’s step-son and the neighbor who initially found the body both agree it was Price, who was recently reported missing.
Palmer said the remains were sent to Charleston for an autopsy Friday and that they hadn’t been positively identified as Price.
The family said Price was reported missing Wednesday and the sheriff’s department had looked for him but didn’t find him after a few hours of searching without a cadaver dog.
Jim’s fiancée Wendy High said she doesn’t believe the department put much effort into finding Price. He was found not far from where deputies searched and they should have been able to find him because of the smell in the area or by walking a little further.
“Because he was a junkie, because he was in and out of jail you don’t care,” she said. “He was still a human being.”
Price’s grandmother said even though he was an addict he was still loved by his family. She also expressed disappointment at the way EMS and law enforcement acted and laughed as they recovered his body.
Jim said he thinks there was foul play involved and said he wants answers.
“What parent wouldn’t,” he asked.
Phone records show Price hadn’t used his phone since Sept. 8, Jim said.
A worker for Frontier Communications said he saw someone in the backseat of Price’s car about 4:30 p.m. on Sept. 11. He said he didn’t know if it was Price, but that the back windows were down and he looked in because someone appeared to be sleeping in the back seat.
Price’s car was parked roughly 200 yards from where his body was found and has been taken by the sheriff’s department, Jim said. If the leaves had already fallen, Price’s family could have seen him from their home.
Jim said he hadn’t heard from anyone at the sheriff’s department by 2 p.m. Friday and he learned from reporters the remains were sent to Charleston.
He said he doesn’t understand how the sheriff can’t say the remains are his son’s and contact him since two people who saw the body said it was Price.
Price was a father to a 9-year-old daughter.
His cousin, Nicole Bartolo said he was a goofy guy who everyone loved.
“He loved everybody. He saw no bad in nobody,” she said. “He always wanted to help people. It was sad because he couldn’t help himself. I think a lot of people seen Travis was an addict and so he was no good but he still, we all loved him. He was my baby cousin, my first best friend other than my brother, you know? He was a good kid he just got mixed up in some bad stuff but we still deserve to know what happened to him. It’s not fair. It’s not fair at all.”
