Austin Police say human remains were found at a construction site near East Riverside, and that making a positive identification could take months – or longer.
Surveyors near East Riverside Drive and Yellow Jacket Lane called police after finding a bone while working. Police sent out a search and rescue team and found additional bones at the site. The bones are believed to be from one person, though whether the person was male or female, and how long the bones have been there, is unclear – though APD Public Information Manager Anna Sabana said it did appear the bones had been there a while.
The bones will be handed off to the Travis County Medical Examiner’s Office for examination. DNA and dental records must be made before officials can search for a match. Unless a match to a known DNA sample can be made – for example, with the DNA of a known missing person – it could take months, if not longer, to determine who the bones belong to. “It’s a time-consuming process,” Sabana said.
This article appears in December 14 • 2012.