Hunters find human remains ‘scattered’ in wooded area, Georgia deputies say

A group of hunters made a grisly discovery in eastern Georgia Sunday when they stumbled on human remains “scattered about,” according to the Burke County Sheriff’s Office in Georgia.

An identity for the victim and cause of death have not been released.

Investigators say the bones were found around 12:15 p.m. Sunday in a wooded area about 14 miles west of the Burke County seat of Waynesboro. The largely rural area is about 35 miles southwest of Augusta.

The case was initially reported as a “suspicious situation,” officials said in a news release.

“Upon arrival, deputies were met by hunters who ... were riding hunting property and believed they had discovered human skeletal remains,” officials said.

“Deputies began combing the heavily wooded area and discovered skeletal remains scattered about.”

The Burke County Coroner’s Office collected the remains, which will be examined by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s Crime Lab, county officials said.

Investigators expect the lab to identify the victim and find a cause of death, officials said.

The state of the remains does not necessarily indicate foul play, experts say. A body left outdoors is subject to being scavenged, which might explain why parts were scattered, according to Science Focus Magazine. The final phase of decomposition — “skeletonisation” to just bones — can occur over a period of “months and years,” the BBC site says.

This story was originally published April 13, 2021 at 9:01 AM with the headline "Hunters find human remains ‘scattered’ in wooded area, Georgia deputies say."