Two 'very, very old' skulls found near Elgin-area cemetery

Two skulls and jawbones were found on Lakewood Memorial Park cemetery property in unincorporated Cook County near Elgin, officials said.

A Cook County sheriff's deputy spotted a skull and jawbone about 12:20 p.m. during a premise check of the area at 30W730 Route 20, said Sophia Ansari, spokeswoman for the Cook County Sheriff's Office. The second skull and jaw bone also were found also by sheriff's police after a further search of the area, she said.

Ansari said the age of the remains and what led them there is unknown.

The remains appeared to be "very, very old" and were found half-buried in the ground by the property line north of the cemetery, cemetery director James Orr said.

Orr said it was unclear to him whether they were found on land belonging to the cemetery or the nearby subdivision. A check of the cemetery determined no graves had been disturbed, he added.

The remains were brought to the Cook County medical examiner's office and the investigation to identify the remains is ongoing, Ansari said.