WHITE RIVER JUNCTION, Vt. (AP) – Police have determined that the remains found last week are those of a Williamstown man who has been missing since January and they believe his death was suspicious.

Authorities used dental records to identify John McAllister, 39, of Williamstown.

State police would not say Thursday what suggested McAllister’s death was suspicious or whether there was a suspect in the case.

“It’s being ruled a suspicious death but, frankly, we are trying to keep an open mind about what might have happened,” Detective Sgt. Todd Illingsworth said Thursday as he revisited the wooded embankment where the skeleton was found.

Windsor County State’s Attorney Robert Sand accompanied Illingsworth and two other detectives to the site in a small stand of trees overlooking the point where the White River joins the Connecticut River.

The site is near the Amtrak station, about 100 yards from Vermont District Court in the heart of downtown White River Junction.

“We just wanted to see it again and get the lay of the land firmly in mind,” Sand said Thursday as he walked along the train rails that crisscross the area.

McAllister’s skeleton was discovered just before noon Oct. 29 by a homeless man who was poking around just above the riverbank. About 10 yards away, police found a small camp site. Clothing, mattresses, and a cooler indicated someone had apparently been staying there.

Detectives said Thursday the items didn’t necessarily belong to McAllister.

The remains were near a popular walking trail and police at the scene suggested they had been there for several months. Police said McAllister was last seen by family members on Nov. 6, when he told them he was taking a trip to Brattleboro to visit a girlfriend. He was reported missing in January.

McAllister’s 80-year-old father, James McAllister of Williamstown, said Thursday that his son had a habit of visiting homeless encampments all over the state, but that he was not homeless himself.

“He was known for visiting those homeless people,” James McAllister said. “He frequently went to see them in Burlington and Rutland and other places.”

He said his son did roofing and siding work for contractors in Williamstown.

There had been reported sightings of John McAllister in Burlington as recently as last month.

“They gave us hope, but they were all wrong,” the senior McAllister said. “We just have to face it, is all.”