Human bones found Sunday at Barrington-area forest preserve

Lake County officials discovered human bones Sunday morning at a wooded area near Barrington.

Crews continue to search the heavily wooded area between the Grassy Lake Forest Preserve and Flint Creek Wildlife Rehabilitation area for more of the skeleton, Lake County Coroner Richard Keller said Monday morning. The skeleton, from one human, wasn't intact, and Keller said it would take a while before an official identification of the body is made.

The remains must have been in the woods for an extended time in a hidden area, Lake County Forest Preserve Police Chief John Tannahill said. That area is south of Old Barrington Road and north of Lake Barrington Village Hall.

The bones were discovered by forest preserve staff around 11 a.m. Sunday. They were searching for deer antlers, Tannahill said.

Tannahill described the area as one with lots of thorns growing during the summer and heavy underbrush. The bones were scattered. There was some clothing found with the skeleton, but it was shredded, making it difficult to identify, he added.

"We're not 100 percent sure about anything," Tannahill said. "Right now the coroner has all the remains - hopefully he'll find some DNA from the larger bones."