HAMILTON — Authorities continue to look for evidence after human remains were located in a Butler County sewer system last year.
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Several agencies conducted a follow-up search of the underground sewer system in the 300 block of Market Street in Hamilton, according to the Butler County Coroner’s Office.
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Those agencies include the Butler County Emergency Management Agency, the Butler County Coroner’s Office, K-9 units from Cincinnati Search and Recovery, and Hamilton Police Department detectives.
The coroner’s office said they were specifically looking for any additional remains or physical evidence related to the human remains discovery in August 2025.
As previously reported, the remains found were positively identified as belonging to William Lee Campbell.
>>RELATED: Coroner identifies human bones found in area sewer system
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).
The coroner’s office said Wednesday’s search was part of a “meticulous effort to ensure all possible evidence has been recovered from the site.”
Anything recovered during this search will be processed, and investigators will determine if there is any connection to Campbell’s death.
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.
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.
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.
We will continue to follow this story.
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