CONROE, Texas -

Detectives need help to solve the death of a man who disappeared in 1984.

Montgomery County sheriff's deputies said George "Bud" Sager, 30, withdrew money from his bank on Interstate 45 near Spring Cypress Road on June 7, 1984. Investigators said Sager planned to use the money to pay for closing costs on a home.

Sager was never seen or heard from again.

Deputies said that it appeared that Sager had never been officially listed as missing. In January 2010, Sager's sister contacted investigators and the cold case squad opened an investigation. DNA from his family was collected and entered into the Combined DNA Index System.

Cold case detectives learned that someone collecting cans along F.M. 1375 about a mile west of Interstate 45 in Walker County on Dec. 18, 1989, found a human skull on the side of the road. There was a handwritten note with the skull indicating that it had been found in the woods, but the person who found it did not want to be involved in the investigation.

The skull was sent to the Harris County Medical Examiner's Office, but a cause of death could not be determined. When DNA technology began to be used in unidentified remains cases, DNA was collected from the skull and entered into the Combined DNA Index System.

In October 2011, after Sager's relatives' DNA had also been entered into the Combined DNA Index System, there was a match to the skull. It was positively identified as Sager's.

Investigators said they do not know how Sager died, but suspect foul play may be involved. He may have been the victim of a robbery, detectives said. Sager's pickup truck was found abandoned in the parking lot of the Crossroads shopping center on Interstate 45 near Highway 105 in Conroe on July 3, 1984. Detectives said there was no evidence in the pickup truck that gave them any leads.

Cold case detectives said they want to talk to the person who found the skull, or anyone else who may have information about Sager's death. Anyone with information is asked to call detectives at 281-297-6510.

Investigators also urged anyone with a relative who has been missing for a long period of time to contact the investigating law enforcement agency to be certain that the person is entered in the national missing person's database. They also recommend exploring the possibility of collecting DNA to be entered into the Combined DNA Index System.

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DNA helps identify skull as missing man's