MI MI - Detroit, UncMale 17-22, UP106107, Bones found while excavating for traffic control signal, Sep'21

[BrownBear]

Unidentified Person / NamUs #UP106107

Date Body Found: September 30, 2021
Location Found: Detroit, Michigan
Circumstances of Recovery: MDOT excavating site for traffic control signal discovered suspected human bones
Condition of Remains: Not recognizable - Partial skeletal parts only

Biological Sex: Male
Race / Ethnicity: Uncertain
Estimated Age Range (Years): 17-22
Height: 5' 4" - 5' 6" (64-66 inches), Estimated
Weight: Cannot Estimate
Hair Color: Unknown
Eye Color: Unknown
Other distinctive physical characteristic: Schmorl’s nodes on superior and inferior thoracic and inferior of lumbar vertebrae, possible well-healed fracture of right distal ulna.

 

[Blurgle]

I wonder if they’ve carbon dated this young man.

 

[branmuffin]

It would be nice to know the actual location of the discovery of the bones. The Namus map takes you to a location where many of the buildings are at least 75 years old. A well established business neighbourhood. There are areas where it's obvious some buildings have been torn down and temporarily replaced with parking lots but even those look like they've been there for a while.

The Schmorle's Node identifier isn't really all that helpful since it can be a common ailment; a lot of people have no idea they have them until their spine has been x-rayed. One way it could identify a younger person like the skeleton suggests is that it can be caused by an autoimmune disease as well as those involved in sports that cause pressure on a twisting spine like basketball.

Schmorl's Nodes | Nationwide Children's Hospital

A Schmorl’s node is a bulge (protrusion) of the jelly-like contents of the vertebral disc into the growth cartilage of bone (vertebra) above or below the disc.

www.nationwidechildrens.org

The wrist bone break can also be in youths involved in sports.

 

[Blurgle]

The Schmorle's Node identifier isn't really all that helpful since it can be a common ailment; a lot of people have no idea they have them until their spine has been x-rayed. One way it could identify a younger person like the skeleton suggests is that it can be caused by an autoimmune disease as well as those involved in sports that cause pressure on a twisting spine like basketball.

It can also be caused by hard manual labour or Vitamin D deficiency, which is why I wondered if they'd been carbon dated or had bomb pulse testing.

 

[Blurgle]

dbm; duplicate

 

[branmuffin]

It can also be caused by hard manual labour or Vitamin D deficiency, which is why I wondered if they'd been carbon dated or had bomb pulse testing.

What do you think of the location if it's accurate? If it is I think the remains could be quite old.

 

[Richard]

Any other items found with the bones? Hopefully some sort of a time frame can be established as to a possible date of death and burial.

 

[Blurgle]

What do you think of the location if it's accurate? If it is I think the remains could be quite old.

Perhaps even ancient.

 

[Blurgle]

Going back to this, if the location is accurate - and for those who can't see it, it's basically right downtown in front of the First National Building - it's far more likely to be an ancient Native American or colonial French burial. No one would be burying a recent murder victim in the historic centre of the city.

 

[branmuffin]

Going back to this, if the location is accurate - and for those who can't see it, it's basically right downtown in front of the First National Building - it's far more likely to be an ancient Native American or colonial French burial. No one would be burying a recent murder victim in the historic centre of the city.

Is there any way we could get a more accurate description of the location where the remains were found? Many times when reviewing the map location of found remains, the location is not accurate.

 

[iulia]

I think this is the location:

Construction crews were working Tuesday, October 5, 2021, across the street from where skeletal remains were found Thursday on the northeast corner of Cass Avenue and Fort Street in Detroit.

Experts still digging for bones after partial remains found beneath Detroit sidewalk

Crew uncovered an incomplete skeleton Thursday while working on project at Cass Avenue and Fort Street

eu.detroitnews.com

ETA can’t seem to attach the photo from my tablet, sorry.

 

[iulia]

This article also has a map of the location:

Construction workers find human remains under sidewalk in Detroit

Construction workers ripping up concrete sidewalks on Fort Street and Cass Avenue stumbled on human remains beneath the sidewalk.

www.clickondetroit.com

[…]
According to the Detroit Police Department, the remains are male but portions are missing, which led anthropologists and police to a dirt and debris pile near Interstate 75 and Ferry Street where the refuse from the construction site is being stored.

They’re looking for the skull and a portion of the torso.

 

[ifindedout]

I think this is the location:

Construction crews were working Tuesday, October 5, 2021, across the street from where skeletal remains were found Thursday on the northeast corner of Cass Avenue and Fort Street in Detroit.

Experts still digging for bones after partial remains found beneath Detroit sidewalk

Crew uncovered an incomplete skeleton Thursday while working on project at Cass Avenue and Fort Street

eu.detroitnews.com

ETA can’t seem to attach the photo from my tablet, sorry.

 

[branmuffin]

Based on the location of the cordoned off area, I'm more likely to believe these are not ancient remains but of a more recent type. If you look at the images of that corner on Google, which is kitty corner to the red brick building across the street, you see that the road is a virtual patchwork of asphalt. Some are more recent with areas showing concrete around cast iron access points to the water mains but there is one area that is oblong going out into Cass St. The google image shows it was taken in October 2020 and already looks like it's been there for several years.

Detroit is like Toronto; both have aging water main systems. They frequently burst and the fix is usually just to go to the area rather than doing a massive refit. The extreme changes in temperature creates a continuous freeze/thaw cycle that causes premature breakdown of asphalt. It looks like the Michigan Department of Transportation is responsible for road upkeep on that area of Fort St. Considering the repair was fairly large I'm sure there were several days where a big hole in the road was cordoned off during the maintenance. The road may have been reduced to one lane probably with either steel covers over the holes or tents around it giving someone an opportunity to dump a body.

It should be easy to check maintenance logs as to the type of construction and repaving and when it was done. I would say based on how many fissures are already in the 2020 image about 10 to 15 years previously. Be a good idea to check who the work was tendered out to as well.