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Kenosha County needs your help to identify human remains

Police are asking for the public's help
Posted at 4:47 PM, Feb 21, 2017
and last updated 2017-02-21 19:15:54-05

New details have been released about human remains that were found a couple of months ago on a Kenosha lakeshore.

There was a news conference Tuesday afternoon, and the medical examiner’s office is still trying to figure out the identity of the skeletal remains and would like the public's help.

New photos have been released. The body was found with a hooded Reebok sweatshirt and Cadillac keys, as well as Chapstick and a lighter. The remains were found by a visiting family.

"That's our hope, that somebody out there will recognize some of these belongings and will come forward to let us know," said Kenosha County Medical Examiner Patrice Hall.

"Somebody knows who this is, so we're looking for assistance in trying to identify this person," said Kenosha County Sheriff David Beth.

The bones are currently at the University of North Texas going through forensic and DNA testing. It will be awhile until results come back on biological sex, a possible age, and race.

"They were severely decomposed, so it's a matter of they were out there for months, if not over a year. The head is missing, there are some other limbs that are missing," Hall said.

One of the biggest clues is a Thornton's rewards card, which was used between December 2012 and January 2014 in Waukegan, Illinois.

Tests in Texas will also help determine a cause of death. As of right now, they aren't sure if foul play was involved.

"Maybe there was foul play, possibly they committed suicide or maybe it was just an accident, they fell off something and drowned," Beth said.

Results from North Texas could take anywhere from four to six months. If you recognize any of the items you're urged to contact the Kenosha County Sheriff's Office.

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