Investigators say dozens of bones were recovered as crews dug along a creek bank off Lawrence Road.
ANDERSON, S.C. — A death investigation in Anderson County grew this week after children playing near a creek found a human skull, leading deputies, coroner’s staff and forensic specialists to recover dozens of bones from a wooded bank near Lawrence Road.
What began as a single discovery on Sunday quickly turned into a larger recovery effort in the Homeland Park area, where officials said the remains may have been buried for years. By Tuesday, authorities said they had found 70 to 80 bones in all and were still sifting dirt and debris for more. The case matters now because investigators are still trying to learn who the person was, how the remains ended up there and whether the death involved foul play.
Officials said the investigation started Sunday afternoon after children playing near the creek spotted what turned out to be a skull. Their mother contacted authorities, and deputies, detectives and the coroner’s office responded to the scene. Once investigators started digging, they found dozens of additional bones in the same area. Early accounts put the total at roughly 40 to 50 bones, but the search expanded as more agencies joined in. By 9 a.m. Tuesday, crews were back on the bank, working through layers of soil in a careful search that included the Anderson County Coroner’s Office, the sheriff’s office, Clemson anthropology specialists and search-and-rescue personnel. Chief Deputy Coroner Don McCown said workers had already shifted hundreds of pounds of dirt as they tried to recover every piece they could locate.
Investigators said many of the remains were small bones and fragments rather than large, easily recognized pieces. McCown said teams had recovered finger bones, parts of the arms and legs, teeth and sections from the skull, along with other fragments. He said many of the bones were found three to four feet underground, packed into the bank near a turbulent section of the creek. That detail has shaped the working theory in the case. McCown said it does not appear, at least at this stage, that the person simply died in the exact position where the remains were found. Instead, he said, investigators are considering whether the body may have been moved by water or came to rest along the bank before being buried over time. Officials have not announced a cause or manner of death, and they have not said whether foul play is suspected.
The timeline has also become more uncertain as the search has continued. In the first hours of the case, officials said the bones looked weathered and may have been in the area for five to 10 years. By the second day of digging, McCown said it was possible the remains had been there for 10 to 15 years or even longer. He pointed to the depth of the burial and the condition of the site as reasons investigators believe the remains are not recent. Authorities also said there were no obvious fractures visible on the skull when it was first examined, though that alone does not answer how the person died. The coroner’s office has said the remains appear to belong to one person, but that still must be confirmed through forensic analysis as the recovery continues.
For now, the clearest path to identification runs through laboratory work that will take much longer than the search at the creek. McCown said DNA testing could take six months to a year before results come back, and even then investigators would need to compare that profile with possible relatives. That means the case may eventually require family reference samples if authorities can narrow down who the remains might belong to. McCown said tips began arriving after news of the discovery became public, with more than 20 coming in on Tuesday morning alone. He also said a Clemson University anthropologist, Katherine Weisensee, was helping investigators determine basic biological details such as sex and approximate age, findings that could guide the next phase of the case. No name has been released, and no arrests or charges have been announced.
At the creek bank itself, the search has drawn attention across the neighborhood because of how ordinary the setting appears. Children had been playing there before the discovery turned the area into an active death investigation marked by law enforcement vehicles, digging tools and evidence work. The contrast has made the case especially unsettling for nearby residents. The remains were found in Homeland Park, an area officials said has not seen many recent missing-person reports, adding another layer of uncertainty. McCown said this is the fourth bone recovery case his office has handled in about the last year, a reminder that some cases begin quietly and only reveal themselves after weather, erosion or chance brings remains back into view.
The investigation remained active Tuesday night, with crews expected to continue searching for larger bones and any other evidence that could help identify the person and explain what happened. The next major milestone is expected to be the completion of forensic and DNA analysis, though officials said that process could take months.
Author note: Last updated April 3, 2026.