Crime

Man Discovers Human Skeleton While Collecting Deer Antlers in Kansas

The Kansas Bureau of Investigation stated that identifying the skeleton "is expected to take longer than typical cases due to the condition of the remains"

By Kimberlee Speakman

Published on March 21, 2023 12:13 PM

Red deer shed antlers fallen down on leaves by a tree in forest. — Photo: Getty

A man searching for deer antlers in Kansas is recovering from making the far more startling discovery of a human skeleton.

The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) said in a statement that the discovery was made by the unnamed man at around 5:30 p.m. on Mar. 18 near Arizona Road and 1800th Street in Humboldt, Kansas, which is located about 110 miles south of Kansas City.

The man called 911 and deputies from the Allen County Sheriff's Office responded first to the scene. They then contacted the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, whose agents and Crime Scene Response Team arrived on the scene at around 5:50 p.m. and reported they'd "found skeletal remains."

KBI did not say how long they suspected the body had been buried at the location, nor did they give any description of the condition of the body or how the man discovered the remains, per ABC News.

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An autopsy has been ordered to identify the body, but KBI said it might take a while for results to come in. The agency also determined that age and gender were not immediately identifiable by the remains, per Fox News.

"Positive identification is expected to take longer than typical cases due to the condition of the remains," the KBI said in their statement. "Death investigations may be determined to be the result of homicide, suicide, natural causes, or an accident."

The agency added that there was currently "no threat to the public" due to the incident.

"In these types of cases investigators typically first consider individuals who have been reported missing in the area," a Kansas Bureau of Investigation spokesperson told Fox News.

The KBI investigation into the incident is ongoing. It has asked anyone with information to contact them via their website or the Allen County Sheriff's Office at (620) 365-1400.

This isn't the first time a person has gone out searching for deer antlers and discovered skeletal remains. In 2021, the Branson Police Department said a man looking for deer antlers in a wooded area about 250 miles southwest of St. Louis found the remains of amateur Mixed Martial Arts fighter David Koenig.

Koenig had been reported missing in March 2020 and prompted the authorities to search properties in Missouri's Taney and Stone counties, and in Boone County, Arkansas, police said.

"Our department and the amazing group of volunteers never stopped in our efforts to find Mr. Koenig," Branson Police Chief Jeff Matthews said in a press release. "While this is not the ending we hoped for, we offer our sincere condolences to the family and friends of Mr. Koenig."

An examination of Koenig's remains by a forensic pathologist determined there was no trauma and his death did not appear to be the result of foul play.