BILLINGS - Human remains discovered in a South Billings backyard earlier this month were identified as a 56-year-old man who was reported missing in 2021.
Will, a resident of the home who asked not to use his last name, said his father gave the man, identified as Ronald Lander, permission to stay in the yard. Will's father died in 2020.
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"My father and him reached like some sort of agreement that he could come and stay outside in his tent," Will said.
Will said it has been about seven years since he spoke with Lander.
"Three years before Pops passed, is like the last time we had, like, face-to-face conversations with him or anything," Will said. "We didn't know where he went or anything."
The Yellowstone County Coroner's Office had identified the man as Lander.
A county coroner said the body could have possibly been in the yard for years. Authorities have not determined a cause of death.
Code enforcement officers found the remains underneath a tent while cleaning up the overgrown and cluttered property.
Tina Hoeger, code enforcement division manager for the city of Billings, said an anonymous complaint led to an investigation of the property in July 2024. The municipal court issued an abatement order in October 2025.
"We tried to have less of a delay on those, but there were some circumstances with these folks that we wanted to work with them," Hoeger said.
Hoeger noted the importance of addressing cluttered properties.
"Those sorts of things attract vermin, insects, all sorts of things," Hoeger said. "We want our neighborhoods to be clean and healthy and safe."
During the cleanup, officers were moving items near a shed when they made the discovery.
"There was a section of pallets off to the side, and some other trash and garbage that they were going to take and put into the dumpster as well," Hoeger said. "And when they started to move those things, there was a tent underneath."
Police said the home was not considered a problem property. Will said the interaction with code enforcement was cordial and they were helping him clean the yard.
As questions remain, Will said he is thinking about Lander's family.
"I want them to be able to heal, and I wish there was something I could have done," Will said.
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