Remains Discovered Near Smithfield Linked To 2025 Missing‑Person Case

SMITHFIELD — The Johnston County Sheriff’s Office has confirmed that the skeletal remains discovered by hunters in January 2026 near Smithfield have been identified as a missing Clayton man.

Officials announced Wednesday that the North Carolina Office of the Chief Medical Examiner positively identified the remains as 57‑year‑old William Danny Toppings, who had been reported missing in June 2025.

Toppings was last seen on May 14, 2025, when he was released from the Johnston County Detention Center following shoplifting charges. His ex‑wife reported him missing to Clayton Police on June 25 after weeks without contact. At the time, investigators said Toppings’ previous rental agreement in Clayton had expired and his whereabouts were unknown.

The remains were discovered Jan. 18, 2026, by hunters along a wood line near the intersection of U.S. 70 Business East and Yelverton Grove Road not far from the detention center.

According to the sheriff’s office, the medical examiner listed Toppings’ cause of death as undetermined, but investigators said no foul play is suspected.