Bear hunter stumbles across human skull in national forest, Washington cops say

A bear hunter discovered a human skull in a national forest, Washington sheriff’s officials said.

A hunter reported finding a skull in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest to authorities on Sept. 4, the Skamania County Sheriff’s Office said in a Tuesday, Sept. 10, news release.

A detective recovered the skull, which was confirmed to be human, from the Sawtooth Berry Fields in the forest, officials said.

“Identity of the remains is unknown and the case is under active investigation at this time,” sheriff’s officials said.

The skull will be sent for forensic analysis.

Another human skull was found in another part of the forest on Aug. 10, McClatchy News reported.

The skull, found in the Big Lava Bed area, is believed to belong to a 31-year-old Oregon man missing since 2013, officials told news outlets. He had been looking for caves in the area with his partner when he vanished.

Gifford Pinchot National Forest is about a 90-mile drive southeast from Tacoma.

This story was originally published September 11, 2024 at 12:08 PM with the headline "Bear hunter stumbles across human skull in national forest, Washington cops say."