Skull found in state forest last month is human, experts say
ERIE (AP) – A Pennsylvania university has determined a partial skull found in a state forest last month is human.
Two state park employees found the skull on April 11 in a wooded area of Forbes State Forest, about 50 miles southeast of Pittsburgh in Jefferson Township.
Forensic anthropologists at Mercyhurst University in Erie concluded the skull was human on Tuesday. The team will now try to learn more about the skull, including age and gender, as well as how long it had been in the forest and whether the bone has any trauma.
Mercyhurst applied forensic sciences Chairman Dennis Dirkmaat says that could take several weeks.
The bone will also be DNA tested at a Texas police lab. That process could take up to six months.
No other bones were found on Tuesday.