Investigators believe human skeletal remains found in Barrow County woods had been in the area for an extended period of time, police said Monday. But it’s not yet known how the person died.
Two hunters found the remains Saturday in the woods off Hill’s Shop Road in Auburn, not far from the Gwinnett County line, and called police, Lt. Matt Guthas with the Barrow County Sheriff’s Office said. Deputies and GBI agents were called to the scene, where they spent 24 hours searching the area, Guthas said.
Approximately 65 percent of a person’s bones were located in the area, along with other evidence, including parts of clothing, Guthas said. The area was excavated during the investigation, he said.
“There were no apparent signs of trauma which would indicate the cause of death,” Guthas said in an emailed statement. “Every death investigation, however, is treated with the utmost scrutiny until such determination is available.”
Barrow County investigators are reviewing unsolved missing persons cases and consulting with other police agencies.
Daniel Bradley, the father of a woman who disappeared six years ago, told Channel 2 Action News that he fears the remains could be those of his daughter, Deborah Gideon.
Bradley lives a few hundred yards from where the remains were found.
“I want closure, but I don’t want it to be her because I’ve heard of people missing for five or six years then coming home, so (we’ve) been hoping,” he said.
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