Ames police say a skull found in the Skunk River in July could be centuries old. A person walking along the river discovered the skull on a sand bar on July 2nd. Police sent the skull to a forensic anthropologist for examination and it was determined the skull is likely that of a 25 to 40-year-old female of Native American ancestry.
The time of death is said to be more than 200 years ago, with the cause of death unknown. It’s also unknown the original origin of the skull, as the area where it was found had been under several feet of water at one point this year.
Ames police say the skull has been turned over to the State Archaeologist.