Human remains found north of Metaline

METALINE FALLS — Forestry workers discovered human remains on Nov. 12 in the Colville National Forest, the Pend Oreille County Sheriff’s Office said on Monday.

Sheriff’s deputies responded to a wooded area near milepost 6 on Boundary Road, also known as Forest Service Road No. 2975, and confirmed the presence of skeletal remains and unspecified personal property. The Washington State Patrol’s Criminal Investigation Team is assisting in the processing of the scene and collecting evidence, the sheriff’s office said.

Investigators believe the remains have been in the forest for an extended period of time, possibly for several years, Sheriff Glenn Blakeslee said in a news release.

The remains have been sent to the King County Medical Examiner’s Office for DNA and dental records analysis in an attempt to identify the remains.

There are no active missing persons cases originating out of Pend Oreille County, according to the WSP’s missing persons database.

Anyone with possible information on the identification of this person is asked to call the Pend Oreille County Sheriff’s Office at 509-447-1980.

Keith Kinnaird can be reached by email at kkinnaird@bonnercountydailybee.com and follow him on Twitter @KeithDailyBee.