Human skeletal remains discovered on April 5, 2026, in the DeRossett community of White County have been positively identified. The remains belong to Mr. Michael Andrew Feustel of Crossville, Cumberland County, Tennessee, who had been missing for some time. His family has been notified of the discovery.

The identification was made possible through the collaborative efforts of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI), the White County Sheriff’s Office, the Sparta Police Department, White County EMS, and the Crossville Police Department.

Michael Andrew Feustel, also known as “Mac” and “Big Mac,” was last seen on June 22nd, 2023. He disappeared along a 173-mile route from Cumberland County, TN, to Hickman County, TN.

He went to his Mom’s work in Crossville, TN, with a male acquaintance who was supposed to give him a ride to his fiancée’s house in Hickman County. The last time his mom saw him, he was getting inside the unnamed man’s Silver Ford Taurus.

Michael was from Hickman County, TN, and had only recently been staying in Crossville. His Mother had offered to take him herself that weekend when she was off work, but Michael reassured her that he had already made plans with the acquaintance to get a ride.

Later that evening, Michael and his mom communicated over text, and he told her that they had not arrived yet. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary until later that night, when his phone communication suddenly stopped, and he failed to show up at his fiancée’s house.

Michael’s Mom hoped he might have just decided to visit other friends first, but soon realized that was not the case when he failed to reach out to her or his fiancée. Michael and his Mom were very close, so his not reaching out was a big sign that something was wrong.

The male acquaintance, who is not publicly named but is known to Michael’s family, has said that he and Michael got into it on the way to Hickman County. He claims that Michael got out of the car and took off on foot near Derossett, TN, which is only 20 minutes from Crossville.