United States Navy veteran remains identified, returned home

A local family received the answer to a decades long question.

“We heard a rumor that he and a buddy made it to shore, but nothing ever came of that," Jane Perkins said.

Arriving at Kansas City International Airport Tuesday, were the remains of Wilbur Francis Newton, a United States Navy veteran who died in 1941 at Pearl Harbor.

“We weren’t actively pursuing this, I mean, I thank God and the heavens that there were people who were because we’re able now to find some closure and find some answers," Perkins said.

Perkins is the second cousin of Newton. Earlier this year, she said Newton's remains were identified by DNA testing.