The death of a man whose skeletal remains were found in Southeast D.C. in September has been ruled a homicide, police said.

On Sept. 25, police went to the 2800 block of Buena Vista Terrace SE and found the remains of 39-year-old Lawrence Neal Jr. He was pronounced dead at the scene, D.C. police said.

Neal, a father of four, had left his mother's home on May 23, 2011, and wasn't seen again. He last had been seen on the block where his remains were located.

The medical examiner's office has determined that Neal's death was a homicide, although the cause of death is undetermined.

Anyone with information is asked to call police at 202-727-9099 or send an anonymous text message to 50411.