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Human bones found in Washington County woods“The length of time they were laying there, we feel like some of the bones had been removed by animals, maybe vultures. We found some probably as far as 100 to 150 feet (from the majority of bones).**— Washington County Sheriff Danny HastyLori MonsewiczThe News HeraldTwo young Washington County boys, picking berries as they walked through the woods and a pasture near their grandfather’s Vernon home Saturday evening, found a small pile of human bones.Authorities from the Washington County Sheriffs Department and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s crime lab worked all day Sunday to collect the bones.“We are treating it as a homicide or a death investigation at this point,” Sheriff Danny Hasty said late Sunday. “There are four missing women — Barbara Marcum, Vickie Davis, Margaret Kirkland and Pamela Ray, who was last seen on Panama City Beach — and we would certainly take all of these into consideration.”The bones have been at that location “in excess of two years,” he said.They were discovered by the youngsters, who initially thought the bones to be those of a long-dead animal. Hasty said the boys’ grandfather grazes cows on that stretch of land, which is off Dawkins Street near the baseball field in Vernon.“They picked up one piece, thinking it was a small animal,” he said. “They then realized it was not a cow skull.”The youngsters notified their grandfather, who confirmed their belief that the bones were human, andcalled sheriffs deputies, the sheriff said.Authorities realized that working the crime scene would be difficult because of the darkness, so a deputy was posted at the scene overnight.Investigators and FDLE agents began the crime scene investigative work, which included a “grid search” of the field, and the recovery of the skeletal remains early Sunday.“We conduct a forensic grid search by roping off sections of the field and surveying fixed points,” Hasty said. “This involves a meticulous processof removing grass and debris.”The grid search was required because some of the bones were scattered, he said,“The length of time they were laying there, we feel like some of the bones had been removed by animals, maybe vultures,” he said. “We found some probably as far as 100 to 150feet” from the majority of bones. The skull, femur, clavicle and pelvic bones were still intact, he said.Although unsure of the identity of the remains, officials believe the bones are those of a female Caucasian, the sheriff said.“Of course, at this time, we’re only speculating,” he said.Hasty added that Dr. Fenner McConnell, who is the medical examiner in Pensacola, and a forensic odon-tologist would be contacted this morning. An anthropologist from the University of Florida at Gainesville would be consulted, as well, he said.
Newspaper Details
Panama City News Herald
Panama City, Florida, US
Mon, Jun 20, 1994
Page 4
Full Page
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FL, USA 29 Jun 2020
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