HAMILTON — The human remains discovered in a sewer system in Butler County last year have been identified.
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The Butler County Coroner’s Office said the remains are those of William Lee Campbell.
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He was a resident of Butler County who was reported missing in 2022.
The identification is the result of a multi-year investigation involving the Hamilton Police Department, coroner’s office, and the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI).
As previously reported by News Center 7, a third-party contractor discovered apparent human bones in the sewer near Third Street and Market Street in Hamilton in August 2025.
The investigation into Campbell’s disappearance started in December 2022, when Hamilton police first received information that he was missing.
“During the early stages of the investigation, detectives secured medical and dental records and obtained a DNA sample from a family member, which was submitted to BCI,” the coroner’s office said.
Investigators were unable to find Campbell despite these efforts.
A break in the case came nearly three years later when the contractor performing maintenance in the sewer system found an apparent human skull with a video inspection camera.
Authorities responded to the scene and Detective Doug Trenum and Coroner’s Investigator Dan Bagley went into the sewer system to document the scene and remove the remains, according to the coroner’s office.
The remains were sent to BCI for testing and after several months of analysis, the DNA profile obtained from the remains was a positive match for Campbell’s DNA.
“Additionally, the familial DNA sample collected by detectives in 2022 provided secondary confirmation of the identity,” the coroner’s office said.
The Hamilton Police Department continues to investigate the details surrounding Campbell’s death.
The coroner’s office is working to determine the cause and manner of Campbell’s death.
Anyone with information in this case is asked to contact Hamilton Police Detective Trenum at (513) 868-5811 ext. 1270.
News Center 7 will continue to follow this story.
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