Officials say identifying the remains could take months as investigators gather bones, tips and DNA evidence.
ANDERSON, S.C. — Investigators in Anderson County are shifting from recovery to identification after children found a skull near a creek, a discovery that led authorities to uncover dozens more bones buried along a bank off Lawrence Road.
Authorities say the case is still in its earliest stage, but it has already turned into a detailed forensic effort involving local law enforcement, the coroner’s office and Clemson University specialists. The immediate challenge is no longer just finding remains in the soil. It is learning who the person was, how long the bones were there and whether the death was natural, accidental or criminal. Those answers are likely to depend on anthropology work, tip review and DNA testing that officials say could take six months to a year.
The case began Sunday afternoon in the Homeland Park area, where children were playing near a creek and came across a skull. Their discovery brought deputies and the coroner’s office to the scene, where further digging turned up roughly 40 to 50 additional bones. By Tuesday, authorities said the total had climbed to 70 to 80 after a second day of searching. Crews returned at 9 a.m. and continued to excavate the bank by hand and through sifted soil. Officials said about 20 bones were recovered that day alone. McCown said the teams had already moved around 400 pounds of dirt, a sign of how slow and methodical the work has become as they try to avoid missing fragments that could prove important later.
What officials know so far remains limited, but several details have helped frame the investigation. McCown said the bones were buried three to four feet underground near a turbulent part of the creek, where water appears to have shaped the bank over time. He said it does not look as though the person was simply lying where the bones were found. Instead, investigators are considering whether the remains were washed downstream or whether the person died somewhere along the bank before the site changed over the years. McCown also said crews have recovered finger bones, arm and leg bones, teeth, parts of the skull and many small fragments. Officials have not publicly described clothing, personal belongings or other items that might quickly identify the person.
The age of the remains is also an estimate, not a settled conclusion. Initial reporting cited an early belief that the bones may have been in the area for five to 10 years. As more of the site was uncovered, officials said it may be more accurate to think in terms of 10 to 15 years or longer. McCown has said the condition of the bones, the roots around them and the depth of burial all point away from a recent death. Authorities also said there were no obvious skull fractures seen at the scene, but they have stopped far short of drawing conclusions from that fact alone. Whether the death involved violence, an accident or some other cause remains unknown, and officials have said those answers will depend on more testing.
That testing will unfold in several steps. A Clemson anthropologist, Katherine Weisensee, is helping examine the remains for basic biological clues, including whether the person was male or female and what age range might fit the bones. That information could give investigators a narrower list of missing persons or family histories to compare. DNA analysis would then become central. McCown said the lab process can take many months, and once a profile is developed, investigators may need relatives to provide swabs for comparison. At the same time, the sheriff’s office and coroner’s office are reviewing public tips. McCown said more than 20 tips had already come in by Tuesday morning after the case became public, though he also noted that there have not been many reports of missing people from that immediate area in recent years.
The scene itself shows why this case may take time. The remains were not found in a clean, open area but in a creekside setting where water, mud, roots and erosion can scatter evidence and change the landscape over the years. What children first saw as something unusual in the ground has now become a layered recovery site involving law enforcement, forensic judgment and patience. Officials have said this is the fourth bone recovery case their office has handled in about the last year, but each case develops differently depending on what is preserved, what is missing and what records still exist. In this one, the public may be waiting a long time for a name.
As of the latest update, crews were still searching for larger bones and any additional evidence while forensic specialists worked to narrow the identity of the person. The next visible step is continued recovery at the creek, followed by anthropology findings and DNA testing that officials say could stretch well into the coming months.
Author note: Last updated April 3, 2026.