Human skull found during construction of South Bend trail

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) - An anthropology professor says a human skull unearthed during construction of a northern Indiana walking trail could be that of a Native American who lived hundreds of years ago.

Children found the skull Friday in dirt bulldozed for a new paved trail being built in South Bend just north of two large, modern cemeteries.

Police contacted University of Notre Dame anthropology professor Mark Schurr, whose specialty is cultural artifacts. He tells the South Bend Tribune his very tentative theory is that the skull could be 500 to 1,000 years old and might be that of a Native American.

But Schurr says it could also belong to an early settler who was buried in an unmarked grave. He recommends that a forensic anthropologist study the skull to determine its origins.

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Information from: South Bend Tribune, http://www.southbendtribune.com