PONCHATOULA - What started as a missing person case is now a homicide investigation. The remains of 43-year-old James Wood were discovered near his home along River Road in Ponchatoula in September. However, it was not until this week that DNA results from the state crime lab confirmed that the remains were identified as James Wood.

The mother of his children, Nadine Wood, said these past nine months have been tough.

"It was really sad, and stressful not knowing where he was or what happened. We pretty much assumed something really bad had happened right out the gate. Just waves of emotion every day," Nadine Wood said.

His death has been ruled a homicide. Nadine Wood believed the sheriff's office should have investigated the case as a homicide from the start.

"It should have been treated like this from the very beginning. I don't understand why it's just now they're saying it's a homicide. Because when they found the remains, they knew there were gunshot wounds."

So far, no arrests have been made as the Tangipahoa Sheriff's Office continues searching for the person responsible for James Wood's death.

"We're looking for suspects and those suspects. I think someone out there knows an individual that maybe James had a problem with," said Tangipahoa Sheriff Gerald Sticker.

James Wood's family is pleading for anyone with information to come forward, so they can have a sense of closure.

"I would like to know why," Nadine Wood said. "Put yourself in our place. If it was your own family, or even if it wasn't your own family, someone out there murdered him. And that person is still out there. Everybody is at risk. No one should be walking around free after killing somebody."

The sheriff encourages anyone with information to contact Crimestoppers of Tangipahoa by calling 1-800-554-5245 or by visiting tangicrimestoppers.com.