Officials: Bones found near Round Lake are possibly from a child
The bones found in an old shed near Round Lake appear to be human, possibly from a child, Lake County sheriff's officials said Monday.
The preliminary examination by the Lake County Coroner's Office shows the bones recovered Saturday in the 33100 block of North Fairfield appear to be from an adolescent approximately 7 to 9 years old, Lake County Sheriff's Det. Christopher Covelli said.
The coroner's office has collected and removed the remains, but officials said it could be days or weeks before science is able to make a positive determination about the remains.
Covelli said the coroner's office determined the skull fragments and teeth are possibly 50 to 100 years old. The fragments, along with a longer bone, were sent to a forensic pathologist, an anthropologist, and a forensic odontologist for a more detailed examination.
"It could be days to weeks before we know for sure whether it's human or not," Covelli said.
The case is under investigation, he added.
The remains were recovered in an abandoned 10-foot by 8-foot shed that was completely full of miscellaneous items, Covelli said.
"It was in very poor condition," he said of the shed. "To gain access, officers had to remove a wall of the shed with the assistance of the Lake County Department of Public Works."
A caretaker of the site found the remains while removing items from the shed, authorities said. After police were called, authorities conducted a thorough search of the abandoned shed, Covelli said.