Human remains found on Bainbridge will be repatriated to Suquamish Tribe
Feb 6, 2015, 5:44 AM | Updated: 9:28 am
Human remains were uncovered on a Bainbridge Island property Jan. 9 by local authorities. The remains will be repatriated to the Suquamish Tribe. (Photo courtesy of Bainbridge Island Police Department)
(Photo courtesy of Bainbridge Island Police Department)
Human remains uncovered not once, but twice near a cabin on Bainbridge Island will soon have a home.
The remains, found in the 17000 block of Agate Street NE, will be repatriated to the Suquamish Tribe, according to State Physical Anthropologist Guy Tasa.
“It’s been determined that the remains are Native American,” he said. He did not know the age of the remains, because carbon dating, a process destructive to the bones, will not be done.
Arraignments are being made to transfer the remains within a week to the Tribe.
Tasa said she didn’t know exactly when the Tribe will receive the remains, Suquamish Tribe spokeswoman April Leigh confirmed it will happen.
The remains were originally uncovered in 2012 a woman and two men working on a septic drainage field, according to a Bainbridge Island Police report. The workers dug about four feet down to a gravel layer where the remains were found.
The woman told a Kitsap County Sheriff’s detective that she observed the remains in 2012.
“[The woman] stated she remembers seeing the skull, a femur, and an arm,” the report states. “[She] recalls seeing the teeth, which seemed worn down, but does not remember seeing any dental work like fillings.”
The woman described the back of the skull as having a jagged hole about the size of a hammer. The length of the bones made the woman think the remains were that of a female.
The woman “freaked out” and wanted to leave, according to the police report. While driving home with one of the men, she discovered he took the skull with him.
The man later put the skull back where it was discovered, according to the report.
After obtaining a search warrant, the remains were uncovered by authorities Jan. 9.
Though the homeowners knew about the remains after they were uncovered in 2012, Bainbridge’s Chief of Police Matthew Hamner said the homeowners did not tell anyone.
“[The homeowners] didn’t want to deal with the subsequent activity if they reported the bones,” said Hamner.
Bainbridge Police wrote a report and gave it to the Kitsap County Prosecutor’s Office. Hamner could not say whether or not anyone involved will be prosecuted.
