WENATCHEE — Pieces of a skull found in a Wenatchee garage appear to be the very old remains of a young adult American Indian, Chelan County coroner Wayne Harris said.
Photographs of the bones were e-mailed to the King County Medical Examiner’s Office, which did the initial analysis, said Harris.
Most teeth were missing, but the wear pattern of the remaining teeth suggested a pattern of use similar to that of many American Indians, said Harris. The teeth were worn down through the enamel, said Harris.
The bones were found in the garage in a paper sack along with pottery shards, according to a man who reported the finding to police Tuesday. The woman who lived there recently moved to an assisted-living facility, and the items were found during a cleanup of the house.
Harris said the “working theory” is that the son of the longtime resident there may have transported the remains from Texas as a sort of souvenir, said Harris.
Attempts to reach the son, who formerly worked in an oil field, have been unsuccessful, Harris said.
Further analysis will be done in July by a state forensic anthropologist who specializes in native remains. Harris said he hopes tribal information can be identified and the remains turned over to that tribe.
Harris said at this point there was no indication of any lethal injuries, just “typical decay from age.”
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