Police say skeletal remains found in York County are believed to be those of a young man.
The York-Poquoson Sheriff’s Office received a report regarding the potential discovery of human remains at approximately 6:30 p.m. Friday in the Goosley Road area.
Authorities confirmed the remains were human, and closed Goosley between Leigh and Crawford roads to investigate. The road remained closed well into Saturday afternoon.
While details are scant, authorities are treating the incident as a suspicious death, said Troy Lyons, the investigations division commander for the York-Poquoson Sheriff’s Office.
Investigators believe the remains are those of a man between 18-25 years old. The identity of the man is unclear, though an identification card belonging to a white man was recovered by law enforcement at the scene. Police also found some clothes, Lyons said.
Further details regarding the card and name won’t be released until a positive identification is confirmed by the medical examiner’s office, “which could take some time,” Lyons said.
Next of kin must be then notified before additional information about the identity is released publicly.
The remains aren’t believed to be related to any known missing person case — including the unsolved Colonial Parkway Murders, a cluster of possibly related disappearances and homicides that happened three decades ago — according to the sheriff’s office.
It’s unknown whether the man is a local resident. Investigators also haven’t determined if the remains show signs of trauma, Lyons said.
“There was no tissue found,” Lyons said.
The remains may have been at the location, a wooded area near a residential neighborhood, for several years.
There’s no timetable for when the investigation will be completed.
Jacobs can be reached by phone at 757-298-6007.
