Missing Auburn student’s car found, but 1976 mystery remains

By SUDHIN THANAWALA and KATE BRUMBACK
Associated Press

LAGRANGE, Ga. (AP) — Investigators have long concluded that a Georgia man who disappeared while driving back to Auburn University in 1976 was the victim of a slaying. But the discovery of his 1974 Pinto in an Alabama creek this week is a big break in the cold case. A Georgia sheriff now says 22-year-old Kyle Clinkscales may have driven off the road and crashed. Investigators found about 50 bones inside the vehicle and will try to determine if they match family DNA. The previous sheriff in Troup County says he remains convinced Clinkscales was killed. A man nearly eight years behind bars for making false statements about the missing man’s death.