Texas Men Arrested After Body Found Inside Foul-smelling Barrel in Search for Missing Man

Police have arrested two men after a body was found inside a barrel in San Jacinto County, Texas. The remains are thought to be those of a missing man.

Officials found the barrel on the 700 block of Cherry Creek Road in Shepherd on Thursday, Bluebonnet News reported. State police and rangers used an excavator to retrieve the barrel from the ground. They were searching for Kirk Buik, 56, a carpenter who disappeared in July.

The barrel was foul-smelling, according to the authorities. They are now working to identify the body.

Police have arrested Matthew David Greenwood and Jack Wayne Gonzales, who are being held in San Jacinto County Jail. Greenwood lives at the property where the barrel was discovered.

The men were charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, investigators told Click 2 Houston. Further charges are expected.

Officials told Click 2 Houston they obtained a warrant to search the property as part of the investigation into Buik's disappearance.

Texas Rangers launched the search in August. This was the second time the force had attended the property on Cherry Creek Road, following an initial visit on August 29.

Buik's family believe the remains are his, ABC 13 reported. They told the broadcaster they fear he was murdered with a hatchet.

His stepdaughter Pam Williams told Bluebonnet News in late August that he was last seen by a family member in the Cherry Creek Subdivision, in the front yard of an acquaintance.

Buik kept in touch with his ex-wife and sister, but had lost contact with other members of his family, she said. At the time, he had not been in touch for weeks.

A carpenter by trade, Buik was unemployed when he disappeared, and worked odd jobs. Williams said Buik has had addiction problems. He doesn't own a car, getting around by bicycle or on foot, and stays with his friends in Shepherd.

"He had a cell phone but the last numbers we have for him are not good. An old woman answers one number and the other is not a working number," Williams said.

"We have called every person we know to call and no one has seen him. The last person we know he was staying with said he would come over to eat and take a shower, but she hasn't seen him in a month," she said.

His sister, Kimberly Buik, told Bluebonnet News in August: "We're usually able to find him. I don't know a lot of the people he hangs out with but the ones I do know haven't seen him in weeks," she said. "I am really worried."