WWII veteran's remains return home after missing 74 years

ATLANTA (AP) — More than 70 years ago, a U.S. Army cargo plane dubbed "Hot as Hell" was headed for India on a supply mission.

Oxford's family didn't know the wreckage had been found until 2007 when Merrill Roan saw a message on a genealogy website from a relative of another service member on the aircraft.

Oxford's parents, siblings and any other relatives who saw him leave for World War II have all died since he went missing, said Terrell Moody of Moody-Daniel Funeral Home, which is handling burial arrangements.

A State Patrol escort will guide a hearse carrying Oxford's casket 50 miles south on Interstate 75 from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport to the funeral home.

Oxford will be buried in the same plot with his parents, Charles and Bessie Oxford, who had placed a memorial marker for their lost son at the gravesite after his plane went missing seven decades ago.