Police are investigating human remains in a residence in Sheldon.
The major crimes unit of the Vermont State Police responded to the property Thursday after receiving a report of human remains that could be connected to an unreported homicide from more than 50 years ago.
Police found a skull at the home when executing a search warrant, but a search of the rest of the property with two cadaver-sniffing dogs did not turn up any other skeletal remains, according to Cpt. JP Sinclair.
Sinclair said that the person who made the initial report said that the Sheldon resident initially presented the skull as linked to a murder from many years ago.
However, when police interviewed the skull’s possessor, he said the bones had been in his family for a long time and he was uncertain of its origin.
“Obviously, we are concerned any time we’re told that someone is in possession of human remains and it’s the result of a homicide,” Sinclair said.
The police took the skull, and it will be analyzed by the Chief Medical Examiner’s office.
Investigators will look for indicators of the individual’s age, gender, race and other factors to try to determine an identity, Sinclair said. Evidence will also be checked through national databases that track missing persons.
“We have recovered this human skull and we have to do lot more work to identify its origin,” Sinclair said.
