Skeletal remains found off Odum Street in Covington on Thanskgiving have been identified as Aron Samuel Lee Hudson, 18, from Griffin.

Below is the official Covington Police Department press release:
On 11/24/11 - officers with the Covington Police Department were notified by a citizen that a human skull had been discovered in a wooded area near Odum Street. Two extensive searches of the area were conducted involving Covington Police personnel; Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI); Covington Fire and the Newton County Coroner's Office. All relevant items discovered during these two searches were submitted to the Georgia Bureau of Investigations Medical Examiner's Office for forensic analysis to determine identity of the remains.

On 01/05/2012 - the Georgia Bureau of Investigations Medical Examiner's Office positively identified the remains as those of Aron Samuel Lee Hudson, an 18 year old male from Griffin, Georgia who had been placed on the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children website in April 2011. The Griffin Police Department actively investigated his disappearance along with agents from the GBI. Through their investigation, Hudson had last been seen by family and friends in January 2011. It was later determined that officers with the Covington Police Department had contact with Hudson in February 2011 prior to being reported as missing.

The GBI Medical Examiner's Office could not determine the exact cause and time of death; however, based on the evidence recovered, it appears that the cause of death was suicide.

Here is the original story:

Skeletal remains of an unidentified man were found Thanksgiving evening off Odum Street in North Covington.

An adult who lived nearby was riding a four-wheeler in a wooded area when he discovered the skeletal remains, said Covington Police Capt. Ken Malcom.

Investigators do not believe there was any foul play, Malcom said, and the remains were sent to the state crime lab to be processed.

The area where the body was found is part of a planned subdivision that never had any houses built in it, only roads.

When asked how long it typically takes law enforcement to identify skeletal remains, Malcom said identification depends on several factors, including whether a missing persons report was ever filed for the person.