'Never seen anything like it': Remains of man missing nearly 40 years found in Alabama river

GADSDEN, Ala. -- For 39 years, the muddy waters of an Alabama river held a deep dark secret.

Human remains found there in January were matched to Alan Livingston, a man reported missing nearly 40 years ago, WVTM reported.

Now police are revealing what happened to him.

"Never seen anything like it!" said Detective Sgt. Eric Phillips, with the Gadsden PD Major Crimes Unit.

Phillips said the night Livingston disappeared, he was last seen driving a brown 1980 Ford Bronco.

"Basically between those trees is where the vehicle was sitting for 39 years (since April of 1983)," Phillips said.

Livingston, a worker at the now-closed Goodyear plant, was reported missing by a friend when he didn't show up for work.

Two months later, in 1983, a hitchhiker was picked up in Arkansas on suspicion of murder in Texas.

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Suspect William Roth confessed to the murder and was asked if he'd done anything like that before.

"Just matter of fact, he said yes, in Gadsden, Alabama," Phillips said.

But he never gave a straight answer about what happened to Livingston, so the mystery went on until January of this year, when a diver working another missing person's case found the submerged Bronco encased in mud and silt. And just this week, with help from the FBI dive team, in that mud they found boots, and clothes that Livingston was last seen wearing.

"And ultimately, they found skeletal remains, an Alabama driver's license in pristine condition, a Goodyear ID card and Social Security card and some other personal effects," Phillips said.

The mystery appears solved. So, this week, Gadsden police called Livingston's younger sister in Ohio.

"She was obviously glad; she'll have some closure. But after 39 years it's also brought back a lot of bad memories," Phillips said.

Phillips said the suspect, 71-year-old Roth, was sentenced to life in prison for the Texas murder, and is said to be near death at a nursing home near San Antonio. He may never face charges in Livingston's death.

"It's great to bring closure, not only to the family but to the area and law enforcement officers still living that were part of this case," Phillips said.