Police investigating skull found on Tulalip reservation

TULALIP — Authorities are examining a skull found on the Tulalip Indian Reservation earlier this week.

“Further tests are required to determine whether the skull is, in fact, human,” Tulalip Tribes Police Chief Carlos Echevarria said in a written statement released Wednesday.

A land surveyor discovered what appears to be a human skull late Monday afternoon near 116th Street on the northeast boundary of the reservation, he said.

Tulalip police went to investigate and enlisted the FBI, tribal officials said. Several people reported on social media seeing officers from both agencies scouring the area near where the skull was found.

FBI spokeswoman Ayn Dietrich-Williams confirmed that her agency is assisting Tulalip police.

“What I can tell you is that the FBI’s Evidence Response Team worked last night and today, collecting evidence to help tribal police determine if a crime has been committed,” she said Tuesday evening. “I defer to Tulalip PD because the FBI is simply assisting our partners by providing these specialized resources.”

“As this is an open investigation, no further comments will be issued until close of inquiry,” Echevarria said in his statement.

Diana Hefley contributed to this story.

Eric Stevick: 425-339-3446; stevick@heraldnet.com.

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