LAURENS COUNTY, S.C. (WSPA) – An investigation is underway Monday morning after skeletal remains were located on a property in Laurens County.
Deputies along with the Lauren’s County Coroner’s Office, Greenville County Coroner’s Office, Foothills Search and Rescue and SLED are investigating the case to identify the decedent.
The Laurens County Sheriff’s Office responded to a North Ellis Street in Joanna after a property owner located the remains on their land.
Foothills Rescue conducted a wide range search after discovering the scattered remains.
The Greenville County Coroner’s Office said they are working to learn more about the remains.
“We do have a forensic anthropologist who she has custody of the remains right now and she’s going to work on doing a skeletal workup to try and estimate sex, race, ancestry and stuff like that,” said Mallory Cameron.
Cameron said their office looks for differences.
“The head, the skull and the mandible which is the bottom jaw and then the pelvis that are very indicative as if it’s a male or a female. Men tend to be bigger in those areas and those different features than females,” said Cameron.
“After we make a determination of the age to sex the gender things like that or as close as we possibly can then us and law enforcement compare missing persons reports in that area,” said Greenville Co. Chief Deputy Coroner, Mike Ellis.
Ellis said there weren’t any clothing or other personal belongings such as a wallet, left behind.
“Just what I’ve seen in this case, that person has been out there I would estimate over a year and could be a lot longer than that because of the deterioration on the bones.”
The investigation is ongoing by the LCSO.
