Published: October 02. 2009 1:15AM
Mercyhurst experts examine bones found at Allegheny Reservoir
FREWSBURG, N.Y. -- Mercyhurst College forensic anthropologists are examining human skeletal remains found by a fisherman searching the Allegheny Reservoir for washed-up tackle.
Police said they are hoping the discovery -- which includes a skull and several bones -- will yield enough clues to identify the remains.
A New York man found an incomplete adult skeleton and clothing about 1:30 p.m. Saturday, police said. He made the discovery as he walked along the western shore of the reservoir, about a mile and a half south of intersection of Bone Run and West Perimeter roads.
Capt. Bob Yehl, of the Cattaraugus County Sheriff's Department, said no missing persons have been reported in the county. However, the remains were found 20 miles east of Jamestown, N.Y., where 36-year-old Corrie Anderson disappeared in October 2008.
"We're still gathering information from other law enforcement agencies regarding missing people, and the examination of the bones has not been completed," Yehl said.
No weapons were recovered around where the remains were found.
Authorities have not yet determined whether the remains are Anderson's, Cattaraugus County Coroner Howard Van Rensselaer said Thursday night.
"Everything's a possibility," he said. "You don't rule anything out at this point."
John Plonski, an Erie resident who owns a boat at the reservoir, said people often camp near the area where the remains were found.
The bones are being housed at Mercyhurst while they are examined by the college's forensic anthropologists.
Steve Symes, an associate professor of forensic anthropology at Mercyhurst, said he will first lay out and photograph the bones before cleaning them.
Once the bones are ready to be examined, their dimensions will be used to determine the sex of the body. Symes said he will also inspect the bone markings and other physical features to calculate the age.
"We can get a pretty good description of who this might be," Symes said.
The Erie County (N.Y.) Medical Examiner's Office in Buffalo compared teeth recovered to dental records earlier this week, Symes said. The medical examiner has not released the test results, and Symes said he didn't know whose records the teeth were compared to.
The age and condition of the bones have made identification particularly difficult.
"The longer the body has been out there, the more challenges there are," Symes said. He said the body had been at the reservoir for an "extended period of time."
The remains might also have been concealed underwater.
Cattaraugus County Coroner Howard Van Rensselaer said there are only a few times during the year when the water is low enough to expose the location where the bones were found. The Army Corps of Engineers typically lowers the water level of the reservoir in the fall.
Mercyhurst plans to release preliminary findings of the examination by early next week.
Tags: Mercyhurst Examining Remains
