Police identify frozen body found near Erie

ERIE - The frozen body of a man found in the woods near Erie last weekend has been identified as a man whose family has been looking for him since the mid-1980s.

Erie County Coroner Lyell Cook said the father of 59-year-old James Burchett was notified on Christmas Eve that his son's body had been found near the northwestern Pennsylvania city. Cook said Burchett's father, who lives in Tennessee, told police he has been looking for his son for more than 20 years. Cook says it remains unclear what Burchett was doing in Erie.

Burchett was apparently living in a dry culvert in the woods behind a Sam's Club in Summit Township. Police found a sleeping bag and clothes near where the body was found. Cook was waiting for Burchett's body to thaw before conducting an autopsy.

- AP