Badges from rock band found on jacket help family of man found near Edmonton identify his body

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The Canadian Press

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EDMONTON - Gene Simmons doesn't know it yet, but his legendary rock band had a major role in solving the mysterious discovery of a man's remains east of Edmonton.

Now friends and relatives of Robin Douglas Goodwin want to thank the tongue-wagging Kiss frontman.

It started last November when the body of an unknown man was discovered in a wooded area near Vegreville, Alta. Pictures released by the RCMP in an attempt to identify the man showed a denim jacket with several Kiss badges.

"Once I saw the jacket I knew that was my friend's jacket," says Ken Peterson, who grew up with Goodwin in rural Saskatchewan. "There's not too many people who have that amount of badges all on one denim jacket."

Goodwin's friends and family are hoping to thank Simmons when he's in town for this week's Indy race in Edmonton.

Goodwin was last seen Sept. 22, 2006, just after his shift as a heavy-duty mechanic in Nisku. His remains turned up 13 months later. RCMP are treating his death as suspicious but are not releasing a cause.