Authorities in southwest Iowa’s Fremont County are investigating the discovery of a human skull, Friday. Sheriff Steve MacDonald says the find was made by two girls who were mushroom hunting in Waubonsie Park, just off of Highway Two.
He says two young girls from Hamburg were upset, but were savvy enough to mark the spot and ran back to call police. The skull was originally taken to the State Pathologist’s lab in Ankeny, but has since been sent to a lab that specializes in determining the age, gender and race of human remains. MacDonald says other bones were located as well, but they don’t know if they are human or animal. He says it’s possible additional remains will surface as time passes.
He says the skull was discovered in a creek, so water could have carried it from a hillside gravesite or embankment. He says there are a lot of scenarios, but their biggest concern is whether they’re dealing with a crime scene or not. The Sheriff says their preliminary investigation indicates no evidence of foul play. Mac-Donald says while it’s still too early to speculate, the remains could belong to a man who’s been missing for many years.
MacDonald says he has a man who has been missing since the late 1960’s and he liked to close that case. He says the location where the skull was found is so remote, it could take a considerable amount of time, manpower and financial resources to begin a search for additional remains.