Credit: Richland County Coroner’s Office
Two human bones found during a home renovation on the 700 block of Kilbourne Road March 12 in Columbia have proven to have no forensic value and are likely historical in nature.
The announcement was made by Naida Rutherford, Richland County Coroner, after DNA tests were performed.
“Our investigation indicates the recovered bones are probably of archaeological origins and were collected in another country,” said William Stevens, forensic anthropologist, who assisted in the investigation along with Forensic Anthropologist Madeline Atwell, both with the Richland County Coroner’s Office. “Our team will undertake further testing to confirm their source and pursue return or repatriation of the remains to the country of origin.”
“Many Richland County citizens speculated on social media that the bones could be tied to a missing person’s cold case, but that is not the situation here as these bones are possibly several hundred years old,” said Rutherford. “Our hearts hurt when families don’t know where their loved ones are. Nothing is more important to our office than being able to bring closure to those who face the unknown. Every person deserves to come home.”
Republished courtesy of Richland County Coroner’s Office