What happened to Nathaniel Bowman? Remains found in woods turn out to be missing boy from 2003

Nathaniel Bowman was a 5-year-old boy who went missing in January 2003. After two decades, the case of Nathaniel Bowman's disappearance has finally come to a conclusion, with the remains of his deceased body finally being discovered.

As per the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office, Logan Nathaniel Bowman's remains were found last year in the Iron Ridge Road "wooded area" in Galax. A guy who had recently purchased the property where the body was found, discovered the child's remains inside a trash bag last year, according to local TV station, WSLS. According to the sheriff's office, the remains had been there "for an extended period of time."

To create a "DNA profile" for the remains that they could match to Logan's family members' DNA, law enforcement worked with a for-profit forensic genealogy company.

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What happened to Nathaniel Bowman? Details explored

Outside the Grayson County Sheriff's Office (image via AP)

The disappearance of Nathaniel Bowman occurred in January 2003 in Grayson County. Initially, charges were brought against Logan's biological mother, Cynthia Davis, and her boyfriend at the time, Dennis Schermerhorn, in relation to his disappearance.

On January 26, Cynthia Davis phoned the police to report an abduction. She told the operator that Schermerhorn had taken her hostage and that her boyfriend had mistreated her son. The 5-year-old "got burned pretty bad" by hot water when he took a bath for himself while she was sleeping, the woman informed authorities, but Schermerhorn refused to allow her to take the youngster to a hospital.

Schermerhorn informed Davis that he had taken the baby to his mother, a registered nurse, when she woke up on January 7, and the boy was missing. After two weeks of being held captive, Davis told Grayson County Sheriff's deputies that her boyfriend struck her with a flashlight.

Soon after Logan vanished in January 2003, his mother, Cynthia Davis, and her boyfriend at the time, Dennis Schermerhorn, were taken into custody and prosecuted.

According to DNASolves.com, Davis entered a guilty plea to one count of homicide and two charges of child negligence in relation with Logan's disappearance. She received a suspended 20-year sentence for child neglect and a 30-year term with 15 years suspended for homicide. Schermerhorn received a one-year jail sentence after being found guilty of one count of child maltreatment.

An age progresses image showing how Nathaniel Bowman might have looked as a 16-year-old (image via Doe Network)

After purchasing the property, a man from out of town discovered the remains, according to WSLS. At the time of the grisly discovery, Carroll County Sheriff Kevin Kemp told the outlet that thoughts of the long-missing youngster crossed his mind. Kemp said:

"It was a day where I first thought, ‘What if these could be the remains of Logan Bowman?’"

The Carroll County Sheriff's Office confirmed last week that Othram Inc. identified the remains as Logan's by using forensic genome sequencing. In a statement, the sheriff's office stated that "new charges" are "anticipated" in this case.

Logan's father, Wayne Bowman, said his son was loved by “a lot of people” and he was “a good kid,” to local television station WFXR. In addition, he expressed relief at the discovery of the bones. Bowman replied,

"I can continue; I know where he is right now. Where he is, I don't have to worry about. It hurts, I know, but everything will work out. We must continue; I will see him in heaven one day."

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The confirmation of Nathaniel Bowman's remains being found, put rest to a two-decade-old case and brought a sense of relief to his father and loved ones.