IA IA - Des Moines River near Polk County park, skull, June 20 2023

[subaw0067]

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Polk County, Iowa —
A family camping trip turned into a potential crime scene after two sisters found what appeared to be a human skull on a sand bar in the Des Moines River near Yellow Banks Park.

Deputies from the Polk County Sheriff's Office are investigating, trying to learn as much as they can about the skull. Though, that will take quite some time, according to Capt. Ryan Evans. Deputies were called around 7:30 p.m. Friday to the boat ramp at Yellow Banks Park. Sisters Willow Kam and Kyla Riley found the skull on a camping trip downstream and the family drove it up to the boat ramp to meet deputies.

"What is going on? There's no way this thing is fake, it is so realistic, I'm so scared right now," the two can be heard on video while holding the skull on a sand bar in the river.

The pair sent the video they took to deputies, which could help them learn more. Riley and Kam thought it was fake at first.

"The more we rinsed it off, the more we realized this has more details than any Halloween store skull," Kam said.

The pair hope their discovery can bring some closure to a family searching for a missing person.

"This isn't how we thought we'd spend our Father's Day weekend, but maybe it will bring some dad some closure eventually," said Riley.

 

[iulia]

Now in NamUs - UP112026

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

By bringing people, information, forensic science and technology together, NamUs helps resolve cases.

www.namus.gov

ME/C Case Number 23-05187
Biological Sex Male
Race/Ethnicity Uncertain
Estimated Age Group Adult
Height Cannot Estimate
Weight Cannot Estimate

Type Unidentified Deceased
Date Body Found June 16, 2023
NamUs Case Created November 22, 2023

Location Found Map​

Location Pleasant Hill, Iowa 50327
County Polk County
Found On Tribal Land No

Circumstances of Recovery Location: Yellow Banks Park along Des Moines River. On 6/16/2023 at approximately 1926 individuals were playing on sand bank along the Des Moines River, when they saw what they believed to be a skull. The skull was half out of the sand, so they dug it out the rest of the way, then washed it off in the water. These individuals called 911, Polk County Sheriff Deputies a Iowa Department of Natural Resources Officer and a Polk County Medical Examiner Investigator responded to the scene. LE and MEI conducted a search of the area where the skull was found and found no other human remains. They skull was delivered to the Iowa Office of the State Medical Examiner for examination.

Condition of Remains Not recognizable - Near complete or complete skeleton

Hair Color Unknown
Left Eye Color Unknown
Right Eye Color Unknown