Hunters find human remains in Pisgah National Forest, FBI investigating

Ryley Ober and Johnny Casey, Asheville Citizen Times
Updated ·1 min read
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is leading an investigation after human remains were discovered by hunters in Pisgah National Forest on Oct. 28, according to a news release from the U.S. Department of Justice.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is leading an investigation after human remains were discovered by hunters in Pisgah National Forest on Oct. 28, according to a news release from the U.S. Department of Justice.

The FBI is leading an investigation after human remains were discovered by hunters in Pisgah National Forest on Oct. 28, according to a news release from the U.S. Department of Justice.

The hunters alerted the Madison County Sheriff's Office, which contacted the FBI. Agents and officers helped recover the human remains from "a remote wooded area off Stackhouse Road in Marshall, North Carolina," which will now be sent to the FBI lab in Quantico, Virginia, the Oct. 30 release said.

The U.S. Forest Service, the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, the N.C. State Bureau of Investigation, and the Walnut Fire Department assisted with the recovery operation, according to the release.

Because the remains were found on federally owned land, the FBI has jurisdiction and is leading the investigation.

"The FBI’s Evidence Response Team meticulously processed the area to preserve the remains and uncover all available evidence," the news release said. "It is too early in the investigation to know the identity of the person or their cause of death."

According to Shelley Lynch, spokesperson for the FBI's Charlotte division, there is no way to tell how long the remains had been in the woods.

According to a news release from the U.S. Department of Justice, hunters discovered a body "in a remote wooded area" off Stackhouse Road in Marshall Oct. 28. The Federal Bureau of Investigation is leading the investigation.
According to a news release from the U.S. Department of Justice, hunters discovered a body "in a remote wooded area" off Stackhouse Road in Marshall Oct. 28. The Federal Bureau of Investigation is leading the investigation.

Lynch said she could not give a timeline on the FBI releasing an ID for the remains, as there are many factors that go into the process.

No additional information will be released until the remains are positively identified.

This story will be updated.

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Ryley Ober is the Public Safety Reporter for Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Email her at rober@gannett.com and follow her on Twitter @ryleyober.

Johnny Casey is the Madison County Reporter for the News-Record and Sentinel. Email him at JCasey@newsrecordandsentinel.com.

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Human remains found in Pisgah National Forest, FBI investigating