Detectives and the coroner’s office had to hike into the trees to recover the remains of a female.
By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
CHEHALIS – Human remains found by a survey crew on a wooded Chehalis hillside yesterday are those of a female, but authorities don’t know who she is.
Chehalis Police Department detective Sgt. Gary Wilson said, after finishing up the recovery today, there were no indications of foul play.
Police were called about 12:45 p.m. yesterday to the 2200 block of Northeast Kresky Avenue after the discovery, about a quarter mile east of the roadway, according to police. Officers hiked into the scene and confirmed the remains were human.
Chehalis detectives, members of the Lewis County Coroner’s Office and a forensic anthropologist spent the morning today collecting evidence and making the removal.
Wilson said the mostly skeletal remains were laying out in the open. There were no signs of a transient camp or something similar, he said.
A little more than four years ago, a homeless man was found dead in his tent in the same general area. He was 67 years old and died of a complication related to cancer.
The area, east of the Yard Birds Mall, is above a swath of property where some earthmoving and cleanup is underway.
Wilson said the police department doesn’t have any missing people. He said he can estimate the individual has been dead around a year, based partly on items they found.
Personal belongings were found near the victim, police said.
The place where she was found was remote, Coroner Warren McLeod said.
“The climb was such a steep angle, the fire department put up ropes for us to hang on to so we wouldn’t fall,” he said.
Both Wilson and McLeod said they found some clues to a possible identity.
“We’re working on a lead on who this person might be,” McLeod said. “We’re going to see if we can find any local dental work or X-Rays.”
The condition of the body is such that no autopsy can be done. McLeod is arranging for the remains to be sent to the King County Medical Examiner’s Office where Dr. Kathleen Taylor, the forensic anthropologist, will examine them.
She will help to try to find out who the female is and do an examination that may help her establish a cause of death, he said.
Police tape blocks off a trail taken to recover human remains today.
Tags: By Sharyn L. Decker, news reporter
Did they ever identity this lady?? My aunt is still missing it’s been 2 years and 4 months. Her name is Gina Dee Dyer Schmidt.
From what I’ve read of the likes of the Ted Bundies and Gary Ridgeways of this world; they are no respecters of bureaucratic protocol.
I wonder if the skull was present with the rest of her remains ? Or perhaps it was taken away again by those pesky coyotes practicing for the World Cup?
Yes, she needs a proper burial, lewis county citizen, and I think she’ll get one in some way. First, whoever she is, she needs a proper identification so her family and friends can have some closure and grief.
As for Sgt. Wilson’s we-have-no-missing-people comment, I think he’s referring VERY specifically to Chehalis, whose PD he represents. I thought of Kayla too, but at the time of her disappearance she was living at a trailer between Chehalis and Napavine so she was not a resident of Chehalis but rather unincorporated Lewis County, which would mean it’s the LCSO in charge of that investigation. Technical but important.
Also how about Gina D schmidt, isn’t she still missing???
Good point about Kayla Croft – Payne. As far as I know, both the Nancy Moyer and Lindsey Baum cases are also still sitting at square one as well.
this county don’t care unless your one of them,,,,all this county wants from “regular people’ are taxes
Seriously????
No missing persons?
Wtf. Kayla is still missing! Almost 5 years now. Do the police not care anymore?!
The Police Dept. said they have no missing persons?
What about Kayla Croft-Payne, isn’t she still missing?
In other words the skull was intact to the spine and no bullet holes were thru the skull.
Sounds like someone dumped off an OD victim after they died.
No indications of foul play?
SO SAD! I hope they find out whom she belongs to!! She needs a proper burial.