In the January of 1945, Michel Louis, a farmer at Maizieres-les-Metz, was out shooting with Charles Waiter, the Mayor of Semecourt, when he stumbled upon a yet decomposed corpse in a field called “Hautes pres de Laie.” Beside the body, a celluloid wallet containing identification papers were found. Louis then delivered these papers to the townhall of Maizieres. Based on the provided description of the body’s features, it was then determined that it was James Eaton.
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Additionally, through multiple interviews and searches, it was determined that there was not any other American soldier left in this area except for Eaton’s. As a result, his remains were removed from this area shortly thereafter. An autopsy was performed on Eaton’s body to fully identify him and to determine the cause of death. It was determined that it was in fact Eaton, and he died as a result of a bullet that entered the left side of his nose and left inside the right mastoid, shearing off the mastoid process and the superior border of his spine.