News

Press release from the Humboldt County Sheriff's Office:

On 12/19/2011 at about 5:00 p.m. Sheriff Deputies were dispatched to the 3100 block of Fickle Hill rd, Arcata, to handle a report of found human remains. The reporting party said that his children found a human skull while playing in the yard. Upon arrival the Sheriff Sergeant confirmed that the skull was in fact human remains.

The father indicated said that his two young boys were playing near the tree-lined area of their yard when they discovered the skull. The boys then carried the remains into the home to show their father what they had discovered. The father believes that it is possible that one of his dogs may have found the skull in the wooded area near their home and brought it to the place where his two boys discovered it.

The area was searched but no other remains were located.

The Humboldt County Coroner arrived and took possession of the remains for further investigation and possible identification.

On 12/20/2011 search teams from the Humboldt County Sheriff's office returned to the area for a more detailed daylight. At about 11:45 a.m. the search teams located additional human remains in the wooded area south west of where the skull was located.

The decomposed condition of the body will require further forensic investigation to determine the age, sex, race and possible cause of the death.

Due to the unknown nature of this discovery, the Humboldt County Sheriff's Office Detective Division is investigating this as a suspicious death. At this time Crime Scene Investigators from the Department of Justice and the Humboldt County Coroners Office are assisting with this investigation. Further information will be provided when available.

Anyone with information is requested to call the Humboldt County Sheriffs Office at 707-445-7251 or the Sheriffs Office Crime Tip line 707-268-2539.