Resolved NM - Tijeras, human skull found, 25 Oct 2018 *Ancient human remains*

[JerseyGirl]

According to BCSO officials, a person working in the area called 911 after locating what was believed to be a human skull.

BCSO's Homicide Unit responded to the scene and confirmed that the discovery was the remains of an unidentified person. The condition of the remains is not being released at this time and officials say no other remains were located in the area.

BCSO: Worker found human skull in Tijeras

 

[Nancy Drew RN]

The skull was found in a cardboard box, which witnesses said had been there for "weeks to months."

Tree trimmer haunted by skull discovery

 

[annemc2]

The skull was found in a cardboard box, which witnesses said had been there for "weeks to months."

Tree trimmer haunted by skull discovery

Oh man, poor guy! When I think of a skull, I'm picturing clean, white, bleached bones. This was not the case with this one. Eek.

 

[Gardener1850]

Skull found in East Mountains no longer investigated as homicide

 

[YaYa_521]

Resolved?

Skull found in East Mountains no longer investigated as homicide

sent the remains to forensic experts in El Paso but they say it’s too old to identify. So old, that it’s been classified as “ancient human remains”.

 

[whorton]

That seems a bit unlikely as the skull was reported to still have ears and hair. But apparently it passed through a couple of hands. . .

 

[YaYa_521]

That seems a bit unlikely as the skull was reported to still have ears and hair. But apparently it passed through a couple of hands. . .

Tree trimmer haunted by skull discovery

“I thought it was going to be an animal – a dog or cat or something,” he said. “It was a human head. It was mummified.”

Garcia said the face was “gone” – the nose, lips and eyes – but the ears and some hair remained.
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The oldest known naturally mummified human corpse is a severed head dated as 6,000 years old, found in 1936 AD at the site named Inca Cueva No. 4 in South America.[5] Mummy - Wikipedia

Yes, it's Wikipedia but the point is mummified remains can be and often are ancient. For the sake of this thread though, ME resolved the case as "ancient remains".

 

[carbuff]

The arid conditions in most of New Mexico would certainly be conducive to mummification.