The Lost and the Found

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[size=16]Sheriff's Office seeks help identifying unknown body[/size]

By Michael Buettner (Staff Writer)
Published: December 9, 2009

Unknown body in dinwiddie

DINWIDDIE - The Sheriff's Office is seeking the public's help in identifying a person whose remains were found in a wooded area off U.S. Route 460 more than two years ago.

Capt. W.B. Knott of the Dinwiddie County Sheriff's Office said investigators have been working on the case since Nov. 16, 2007, when the skeletal remains were discovered after a resident noticed his dog had brought a human skull into his yard.

"We went out the next day with cadaver dogs and found the rest of the remains, or what was left there," Knott said.

The remains were sent to the state Medical Examiner, and sheriff's investigators contacted law enforcement agencies in surrounding areas to see if they could match the unidentified remains with any missing persons reports. Knott said the department received some leads but eventually eliminated all of them. Because the remains were badly decomposed and had been damaged by animals, the cause of death could not be determined, he said.

Recently, however, the department asked a forensic artist to create a picture of what the deceased person looked like, and now they are distributing posters of the drawing in the hope that someone will recognize the individual.

According to the Medical Examiner's office and the drawing, the remains were those of a black or mixed-race male who was around 30 years old at the time of his death. Signs of a dental infection led investigators to believe he may have been missing a front tooth for some time before he died.

In addition, items found with the remains led investigators to believe the deceased "may have led an alternative lifestyle," Knott said. Those items included a pair of women's shoes and a watch with a pink band.

Anyone who has information about the case or recognizes the drawing is asked to call the Dinwiddie County Sheriff's Office at 469-4550 or Petersburg/Dinwiddie Crime Solvers at 861-1212.

Michael Buettner may be reached at 722-5155 or mbuettner@progress-index.com.