Charges of abuse of a corpse and tampering with evidence have been dismissed against Brandon Friend in Pike County Municipal Court.
The court dismissed the charges because the judge did not see the probable cause of the crimes alleged.
Authorities have discovered human remains on property on Lapperell Road in their search for 77-year-old Bernice Hayslip, who has not been seen for one year.
The remains have not been positively identified, although testing continues.
The woman’s daughter, Tracy Sowards, is charged with credit card theft.