The FBI and Warm Springs Tribal Police Department are investigating human remains found Monday on the reservation.
Police Chief Bill Elliott said officers were dispatched to a remote location along Tenino Road after someone reported finding a skull.
Officers met with the caller who said they noticed a round item on the ground while salvaging some wood from an old dock. The caller said they rolled the item with their foot and realized it was a human skull.
Tribal officers secured the site, and detectives did a cursory search of the area and located several other bones that were of interest, Elliott said.
The FBI was notified and agents from the Bend office and Evidence Response Team (ERT) responded to work with the tribal police in processing the site.
A cadaver dog was requested from another local agency to assist in the search of the area.
Elliott said he had limited information but the remains could have been there anywhere from one to 10 years based on some preliminary info from the medical examiner’s office.
The WSTPD will be cross-checking our database for missing/runaway persons from the last 10 years to ensure none are outstanding and will be investigating this matter with the FBI, Elliott said.
If anyone has any information related to this matter, please contact the WSTPD tip line at 541-553-2202.
