HIGHSPIRE, Pa. — Reservoir Park became part of a crime scene investigation late Thursday night, after a pair of human remains were found along the lake.
Dauphin County investigators are now working to piece together how the remains got there.
“They’re in an advanced stage of decomposition, so it’s believed that they have been there for a period of time," said Jennifer Fitch, the press secretary for Dauphin County.
Highspire Borough's public safety director tells FOX43 that a group of kids found skeletal remains in a heavily wooded area of the park while fishing. Some clothing fragments were also found at the scene.
Fitch said forensics units are now working to identify the remains.
“The Dauphin County Coroners Office has retrieved the skeletal remains and will be sending them off for DNA analysis," said Fitch.
Dr. Robert Furey, a forensic entomologist, is among the investigators on the case for the Dauphin County Coroner's Office. He said investigators will comb through each bit of evidence collected at the scene.
“The smallest bit of evidence is important when we’re trying to figure out what happened," said Dr. Furey. “Some of (the clothing fragments) may be unique enough that family members could identify them. Then we will examine dental records, but ultimately, we will do DNA.”
The DNA of the remains will then be compared to that of missing persons' families in the area.
"It’s very easy for us to say, ‘this may be someone’s father,’ and we’ll get DNA from their offspring and work our way backwards," said Dr. Furey.
The process to identify the remains will likely take several months.