OKTIBBEHA COUNTY – Authorities believe it will be at least three to four weeks before they can identify human remains found Thursday in a wooded area off Stuart Road east of Starkville.
“We are certain they are human remains,” Capt. Brett Watson with Oktibbeha County Sheriff’s Office, told The Dispatch.
Watson did not comment on the condition of the remains or the gender of the deceased.
Watson said the sheriff’s office, in conjunction with Starkville Police Department, were conducting a “purposeful search” in the area Thursday when officers found the remains. The search was part of an investigation that dates back several months, he said, though he wouldn’t specify the case.
The remains will be taken to the state medical examiner’s office in Pearl, and Watson said he hopes to release more information in the coming weeks, depending on the results of testing. Until then, he said the investigation is “wide open.”
Mississippi Bureau of Investigation assisted in gathering intelligence that led to the remains being found, a sheriff’s office press release said. Starkville Fire Department, Coroner Michael Hunt, the county emergency management agency and the Mississippi State University Forensic Recovery Unit assisted in the search and recovery.
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Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 46 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
