Follow-Up Police Activity Near Human Remains Site

dsc_7239
Investigators and police personnel returned to the site on Monday where human remains were found last month in Helen Binney Kitchel Natural Park. (John Ferris Robben photo)

By Richard Kaufman
Sentinel Reporter

The Greenwich Police Department announced on Monday afternoon that they had returned to the site where human remains were found in the southwest corner of Helen Binney Kitchen Natural Park near Harding Road in Old Greenwich on April 26.

Because what was found was only a partial set of skeletal remains, investigators wanted to re-check the site and expand their search. “This additional search was not based on any new information,” the GPD said in a press release. “We just wanted to be as thorough as possible.”

Monday’s search, which began at approximately 8 a.m., and concluded around 1 p.m., consisted of 38 personnel from the GPD and Evidence Recovery Team from the New Haven office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The GPD also said in the press release that they had remote access to the experts at the Connecticut Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. The OCME is still processing the remains that were originally discovered last month.

On April 26, just after 9 a.m., town parks employees were clearing a wooded area when they stumbled upon the remains. Forensic and police units were dispatched to the scene and quickly cordoned it off. A preliminary investigation by the OCME confirmed that the remains were indeed human, and that whatever had happened to them did not happen recently.

As the investigation opened, GPD reached out to other agencies in the area for missing persons reports in an effort to pinpoint an identification. GPD has received several phone calls from people looking for more information on a loved one’s open case, but information at this stage is scarce.

Whenever a case like this springs up, according to Lt. David Nemecek, a GPD spokesman, anyone with the hopes of finding answers to years’ worth of questions may come inquiring. “It’ll prompt a response,” he said.

Divers were also called in from the Greenwich Marine Division to search the small stream near where the remains were found.

Searching in up to two feet of murky, muddy water and dealing with the large snapping turtles that live there, divers combed the area hoping to find materials that might shed light on the grim discovery. Detectives and forensic personnel also searched the entire park, but it’s unclear whether or not anything of use was found.

No information, such as the gender, identity, or cause of death, if it can be determined, will be released until the remains are fully analyzed by the OCME, which could take a while to complete, according to police.

The GPD will continue to conduct a death investigation, and they encourage anyone with any information to contact the anonymous tip line at 1-800-372-1176, or email tips@greenwichct.org.

Related Posts
Loading...