Skeletal remains found more than a decade ago could belong to a missing Alabama man, authorities said

Oakman native Scott Allen Key was last seen in April 2009 but few details were known about his disappearance. He was 44 at the time.

In November 2009, remains of an unidentified male with a bullet wound in his skull was found in rural Montgomery County, about 120 miles (193 kilometers) away from where he was last seen, Walker County sheriff’s spokesman T.J. Armstrong said. The findings were entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System.

Earlier this week, Armstrong said similarities between Key and the unidentified body were found by the Doe Network, a volunteer service that brings awareness to missing persons, news outlets reported.

Key’s family was contacted and DNA samples were taken from his son and sent to the Alabama Department of Forensics and the Missing Persons System.

Armstrong said the DNA analysis and investigation could take up to 18 months.