FORNEY, Texas — The Kaufman County Sheriff’s Office is investigating skeletal remains which were found in the Forney area off of Helms Trail — a skull was later determined to be human.
FORNEY, Texas — The Kaufman County Sheriff’s Office is investigating skeletal remains which were found in the Forney area off of Helms Trail — a skull was later determined to be human.
The remains were found Thursday afternoon, January 28, 2016, by three Forney High School graduates who were hiking in a wooded area just west of Helms Trail and approximately a quarter-mile south of U.S. Highway 80.
The Forney HS grads who found the skull told inForney.com it appeared to be a human skull missing its lower jaw and some of its teeth.
Kaufman County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Captain Fred Klingelberger confirmed the skull was found but said the department would wait for official classification from an anthropologist to determine if it was a human skull or an animal skull.
The skull, along with other bones in the area, were taken to the Anthropology Department at the University of North Texas for species identification, according to Klingelberger. Earlier this week, the skull was determined to be human skull and now police are examining DNA to potentially identify the remains, Klingelberger said on February 4, 2016. Other bones found during the initial investigation were determined to be animal bones.
Klingelberger said investigators also determined the area in which the skull was found could have received up to 36 inches of flood water earlier this year and last year during heavy rain events. Investigators also found several signs of coyote and hog tracks in the area.
As of Thursday night, no other human bones had been discovered near the location the skull was found, according to Klingelberger.
This is a developing story.
