RCMP Major Crimes Unit members are still investigating a set of bones, confirmed to be human, found near Redwood Meadows on May 11.
Following a search conducted last Friday, RCMP Cpl. Curtis Peters said no additional bones were found and the next step is identifying who the remains belong to.
Peters said there were no missing persons in the immediate area, to his knowledge, but they would be comparing the remains to missing persons from Calgary and the surrounding area.
“It is too soon to determine if there was any foul play … we are looking at this as a lengthy operation,” Peters said at a media briefing last Friday.
The bones were reported on May 11 at 12:33 p.m. by a citizen walking in the remote location south of intersection of Highway 22 and Highway 8 near Redwood Meadows.
RCMP Forensic Identification Section and Major Crimes South attended the scene on Thursday and transported the bones to the Medical Examiner’s Officer, which were determined to be human on Friday morning.
An additional search by RCMP Special Tactical Operations members was carried out on May 12 to identify where the bones originated.
Residents from the area said the search was being conducted in an area that is a “popular walking path” known as a place where people bring their kids and dogs.
Peters said the bones had been moved around due to animal activity.
When remains are discovered, the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner works with an anthropologist to examine the bones remains.
Remains are then categorized as human versus animal, a single individual versus multiple individuals, complete versus partial remains, ancient remains versus more recent remains, sex, ethnicity, age and so forth.
“Attempts are made to identify the remains using various techniques including dental comparisons (if a mandible containing teeth are present), comparison of unique bone features, examination of any accompanying items (e.g. clothing, jewelry) and facial reconstruction using a forensic artist,” explained Katherine Thompson, public affairs officer with the Alberta Justice
At press time, age, sex and ethnicity were still undetermined and the investigation is ongoing.
