Who is Brian Burns? Human remains reportedly found a decade after Manchester man’s disappearance

Human remains have reportedly been discovered near Manchester a decade after Brian Burns disappeared in the area in 2013. Brian Burns, a 55-year-old man, was last seen on December 19, 2013, at his home northwest of Manchester. He was reported missing by family members on December 23, 2013, but was never found despite police enlisting the public's help in locating Burns.

Nearly a decade after Burns mysteriously vanished, the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office announced that human remains had been found in a field just west of Manchester by some pheasant hunters. While police are waiting for a positive identification of the remains, they believe that they are those of Brian.

The recent development comes two years after the missing person’s brother, Randy Burns, appeared with his attorney in Delaware County District Court to petition for the legal declaration of death.

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Brian Burns is the cousin of convicted killer Jerry Burns

Nearly a decade after Manchester man Brian Burns disappeared from his home, the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office announced that human remains found by pheasant hunters in a field just west of Manchester could be the missing person.

Brian Burns, last seen at his home northwest of Manchester on December 19, 2019, has been missing for years, and his disappearance has been shrouded in mystery. The case made national headlines after Brian's cousin Jerry Burns was arrested in 2018 for the murder of 18-year-old Michelle Martinko in December of 1979.

At the time, TV9 asked the Delaware County Sheriff’s office if Jerry Burns, who was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for Martinko’s murder, was connected to Brian's disappearance. In response, the Delaware County Sheriff’s office said:

“We are reviewing the case and at this time have not uncovered any additional information that would implicate Jerry Burns in that disappearance.”

Michelle Martinko, a senior at Kennedy High School who planned to attend Iowa State University, was found dead with stab wounds on her face and chest in her parents' Buick in the parking lot of Westdale Mall in Cedar Rapids on December 20, 1979. Nearly forty years after the incident, using a genetic genealogy website, Jerry Burns' DNA was connected to the crime scene.

Jerry Burns, who denied any role in Martinko's death, was found guilty of first-degree murder in 2020 and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Jerry, who has maintained his innocence, lost his bid to overturn the conviction in 2023. Meanwhile, Jerry’s missing cousin Brian's case is under investigation by the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation.

Anyone with information regarding Brian's disappearance was asked to contact the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office at 927-3135.