A man looking for deer antlers in Missouri found the remains of an amateur MMA fighter who went missing almost 2 years ago

• The remains of amateur MMA fighter David Koenig were found in Branson, Missouri, last week.
• His remains were found by a man looking for deer antlers, police said.

A man searching for deer antlers in Missouri earlier this month found the remains of an amateur mixed martial arts fighter who'd been missing for almost two years, local police said on Monday.

Branson Police said in a statement that the remains found on December 22 were identified as missing MMA fighter David Koenig.

Police said an examination of the remains found no signs of trauma or foul play.

Koenig was staying at a budget motel in Branson when he was last seen in February 2020, Koenig's mother, Tracy Green Koenig, told the Springfield News-Leader.

Police said in Monday's statement that Koenig was reported missing in March 2020.

The police department added that investigators recovered "most of the remains" on December 22 and collected "several other personal articles" from the scene.

"Our department and the amazing group of volunteers never stopped in our efforts to find Mr. Koenig," Branson Police Chief Jeff Matthews said. "While this is not the ending we hoped for, we offer our sincere condolences to the family and friends of Mr. Koenig."

Tracy Green Koenig posted in a Facebook group titled "Mystery of the Missing Fighter!" to dismiss rumors that her son was killed.

"Nobody killed Dave," she wrote. "Nobody! He left the Peachtree on foot and never made it home. Why he was in distress, and why he walked through the deep woods…..we most likely will never know. But he is GONE. So PLEASE…..NO MORE RUMORS…..NO CONSPIRACY THEORIES…..NO BLAMING BRANSON PD."

"We do not want or need to here your thoughts on what could have happened," she added. "It won't bring him back, and we are in enough pain already."