YAKIMA, Wash. (AP) - Investigators in Washington state plan to use dental X-rays in an attempt to identify skeletal remains found by hunters, a coroner said.
Yakima County Coroner Jim Curtice said X-rays are the next step in identifying the remains, The Yakima Herald reports.
Hunters discovered the skull and long bones around 8:30 a.m. Sunday between Wapato and Toppenish, officials said.
There are very few bones and the state of the remains precludes an autopsy, Curtice said.
Investigators have a single lead about the identity but Curtice did not provide details.
Curtice could not say how long the remains had been there or their gender or ethnicity. Investigators have an idea of the gender but will not release the information until they are sure, he said.
An identification failure through dental records would require investigators to use DNA testing, Curtice said.
The case is being investigated by the FBI, said Casey Schilperoort, a Yakima County sheriff’s spokesman.
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