A human skull and bones were found in a suitcase next to an interstate in Gwinnett County on Friday morning.

A Georgia Department of Transportation worker found the suitcase about 80 yards into a wooded area along I-985 northbound between the I-85 split and Buford Drive, Gwinnett police Cpl. Michele Pihera said.

The suitcase appears to have been in the wooded area for an extended period of time, she said.

The lead detective on the case will search through missing persons cases in Gwinnett and other agencies to try to trace the bones back to a specific person, Pihera said.

The right lane of I-985 northbound is closed while police conduct an investigation.

Anyone with information about the case is asked to call Gwinnett police at 770-513-5300. Tipsters can also remain anonymous — and be eligible for rewards of up to $2,000 — by contacting Crime Stoppers at 404-577-8477, texting information to 274637 or visiting crimestoppersatlanta.org.

— Please return to AJC.com for updates.

About the Author

Keep Reading

Gwinnett County officers discovered Jorge De La Cruz suffering from severe head injuries at a residence in the 4000 block of Comanche Court in unincorporated Lilburn.

Credit: Henri Hollis

Featured

Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, seen here in a file photo from Nov. 14, 2024, is conducting a statewide audit of voter registrations targeting registrations at businesses and P.O. boxes for possible cancelation. (Jason Getz / AJC)

Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com