There’s not much information available about circumstances surrounding a human skull discovered June 29 in a wooded area in Owen County.
The skull was found on private land along North Cataract Road that has no houses on the property. Cadaver dogs and police who searched the area over two days found no other human remains at the site.
The adult skull is being tested by forensic experts and will have DNA samples taken in an effort to determine where it may have come from and if a crime is involved. Owen County Coroner Shelby Hershberger said it could be up to three months before final results are in.
She said a forensic anthropologist will study the skull and complete a biophysical profile that could help identify the person.
“Under perfect circumstances, they could reconstruct the skull and tell us age, sex and potentially race,” Hershberger said, a process that could take six weeks.
After that, DNA testing could take another six weeks. Because of environmental factors, she said it was hard to tell how long the skull had been exposed to the elements.
Speculation abounds
While facts are scarce at this point, there is an overabundance of speculation offered in hundreds of comments on social media sites. A FOX 59 news story posted on a reporter’s Facebook page, for instance, had more than 300 comments the day after the skull finding was posted there.
Could the skull belong to one of several missing area women? Or one of two missing Owen County men? Is it from a cemetery?
Several people reported they drive on that road often. One said the skull was found close to their house. Multiple posters saw police officers going into the wooded area where the skull was found. One person who claimed a dog dug it up was challenged by someone who wanted proof that was true.
Hershberger said such speculation is uncalled for and especially difficult for families and friends of people who are missing.
“It is troubling that people are making associations like that without any facts at all,” she said. “I read through a lot of that stuff (online) and end up thinking I’m going to beat my head into the wall because it can be so insensitive.”
Hershberger said she will release more information after she hears back from the experts examining the skull.
“There are a lot of armchair investigators out there, and I understand the frustration of wanting to know more, but there’s nothing yet to indicate to me that this is related to any particular case.”
Contact H-T reporter Laura Lane at llane@heraldt.com or 812-318-5967.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Weeks of forensic and DNA tests ahead to identify human skull found in Owen County
Reporting by Laura Lane, The Herald-Times / The Herald-Times
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
