By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
CHEHALIS – The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office confirmed the skeletal remains of a woman found near Morton last year were dumped there.
The remains were found on April 7, 2011 by a motorist who pulled off U.S. Highway 12 to take a break, about 100 yards up a logging road.
Unidentified female
Who she is and how she died remains a mystery.
But the sheriff’s office says they believe foul play was involved.
Lewis County Sheriff’s Office Chief Civil Deputy Stacy Brown said yesterday detectives are taking a further look at the case in light of the confessions early this month of self-professed serial killer Israel Keyes who claims he killed four people in Washington state.
“We’re definitely taking a look at all our cases to see if his M.O. matches any of ours,” Brown said.
The checking is not based in any specific request from the FBI, she said.
The sheriff’s office has been tight-lipped about details of the Morton case, in hopes that withholding information from the public will better help them solve it.
A forensic anthropologist at the King County Medical Examiner’s Office believes the remains belong to a woman who was 20 to 35 years old when she died, small in stature and possibly of mixed ethnicity.
A sketch made by studying the facial bones offers a clue to what she may have looked like. The artist’s rendering was released to the news media in October of last year, but it generated no leads on her identity, according to Lewis County Coroner Warren McLeod.
Dental records and DNA from the deceased have been entered into databases with no matches found.
Examination by the specialist failed to come up with the cause of death.
“Having only bones to examine, she’s exhausted, at this point, all means to figure out the cause and manner of death,” McLeod said yesterday.
McLeod, whose office has the responsibility – among others – of figuring out who she is, is hoping re-releasing the sketch will turn up someone who recognizes her.
“Not knowing who it is puts us at a real disadvantage,” he said.
Another aspect of the case still under wraps is how long the forensic anthropologist estimates the woman had been dead before her remains were found.
“We’re not releasing that yet because that’s something only the killer, or the person who dumped her, would know,” Chief Civil Deputy Brown said.
Anyone with any information about this female or the case is asked to call the coroner’s office at 360-740-1376, Lewis County sheriff’s detective Dan Riordan at 360-740-2765 or Lewis County Crime Stoppers – if the person wishes to remain anonymous – at 1-800-748-6422.
Tags: By Sharyn L. Decker, news reporter
correction, the big Company that has bought up all but the few Privately owned properties on Peterman Hill. Sorry needed to clarify. Obviously got ahead of myself.
Maybe they should call in the real CSI investigators. I would think that if they actually knew how and when she died they would say. They don’t have a clue. Think about it, what sense does it make to not release when, or how she died? “That is something only the killer knows” WTF is that? Ya, so, and they are withholding that info WHY? Maybe they should start with the company that has bought up the private properties on Peterman Hill, and then put up new gates and then locked them. I believe the remains were found when the gate was shut and locked and had been, on both ends, just this last year the top end has been accessible. I also believe that the gates have been locked since 2010. It is about 10 to 12 miles from the top end (1000 line) to the Ferngap end when you come through, but then you have to turn around and go back cuz of locked gate, but the road was washed out on the 1000 line in 2008, so if they have not fixed it there would be no way through………hhhmmmmmmm?!?! Ya, I think I would question the Ones who have put up the locked gates since they are the only ones with access to Frengap end. The few Privately owned properties up there are all on the upper 1000 line.
It would help if a list of those ruled out was published.
Maybe a better artist to draw a picture that may resemble someone. That picture could be any one at this time. I cant tell if it suppose to be a Indian, Eskimo or what. I better if we had a better picture she could be I.D.
She resembles that lady that went missing from Tenino a few years ago. I just looked her picture up on Komo archives but I would think they would have checked that out already?
So sad that a young woman could be lost for so long, and no one cares enough about her to have reported her missing~
Sounds like my sistes case to me . She was killed and dumped on a logging rd and was found 1the yr latter she waswas 13 tho. The person who did this is sick… All i have to say is this is non sense and someones missing that girl somewhere ..may that lady and her family have peace one day:(
maybe she’s one of those inuit girls who keep missing in BC
They should be looking at the Grants Pass case.