Pearl River County residents reported the discovery of a human skull after their dog brought it into their yard on Green Tree Road, near Sycamore Road.
Pearl River County Sheriff David Allison said the call came in Wednesday night at about 8, leading deputies and investigators to check out the report.
After determining the skull was in fact human remains, it was turned over to the coroner’s office, who will bring it to the proper facility to have DNA testing conducted, Allison said.
Chief Investigator Marc Ogden said the skull was mostly intact, missing only the lower jaw.
Since teeth remain in the skull, Allison said the investigation will also involve dental records.
An identity of the remains has not been determined at this time, Allison said.
As a result of the discovery a warrant was secured for surrounding properties and a search of the area was conducted the next morning in an attempt to locate the rest of the body. Allison said that search included a cadaver dog from the State Fire Marshal’s Office, a bloodhound from the Pine Grove Volunteer Fire Department and several emergency personnel.
After a day-long search, no other remains were found, Ogden said. While the search has been called off for now, Ogden said that in the not too distant future the department intends to conduct another search of the area with additional personnel.
Ogden said the investigation will attempt to determine if the skull belongs to one of the several people reported as missing over the last decade or so, in addition to reports of missing people in surrounding jurisdictions.
Allison said initial inspection of the skull estimates the remains could have been in the woods for at least 18 months.
Ogden asks anyone in the area who may have information about this case to call dispatch at 601-795-2241.