In Virginia, the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner is turning to clay models to help identify the skeletal remains of eight people.
On Nov. 10, 1988, the remains of a Hispanic male were found along Interstate 95 at mile marker 112 in Caroline County, Virginia. He is believed to have been 35 to 45 years of age.
(Courtesy Virginia Office of the Chief Medical Examiner)
Courtesy Virginia Office of the Chief Medical Examiner
On the Nov. 10, 1988, the remains of a Hispanic male were found along I-95 at mile marker 112 in Caroline County. He is believed to have been 17-25 years of age.
(Courtesy Virginia Office of the Chief Medical Examiner)
Courtesy Virginia Office of the Chief Medical Examiner
On Nov. 1, 1976, the remains of a male of mixed ancestry (Asian, Hispanic and Native American) were found along the bank of the York River approximately 10 miles south of West Point in James City County, Virginia. He is believed to have been 25 to 60 years of age.
(Courtesy Virginia Office of the Chief Medical Examiner)
Courtesy Virginia Office of the Chief Medical Examiner
On Feb. 3, 1991, the remains of a possibly mixed ancestry (black and white) Hispanic female were found along the medium strip of I- 95 in Stafford County, Virginia. She is believed to have been 25-35 years of age.
(Courtesy Virginia Office of the Chief Medical Examiner)
Courtesy Virginia Office of the Chief Medical Examiner
On Nov. 29, 1972, the remains of a black female were found in a wooded area off of Walter Mill Road in York County, Virginia. She is believed to have been 25-45 years of age.
(Courtesy Virginia Office of the Chief Medical Examiner)
Courtesy Virginia Office of the Chief Medical Examiner
On Sept. 25, 1990, the remains of an adolescent white male were found in a farmer’s field in Stafford County, Virginia. He is believed to have been 15-18 years of age.
(Courtesy Virginia Office of the Chief Medical Examiner)
Courtesy Virginia Office of the Chief Medical Examiner
On Nov. 7, 1998, hunters found a bag in the woods in Stafford County, Virginia, containing the remains of a white female. She is believed to have been 28-45 years of age.
(Courtesy Virginia Office of the Chief Medical Examiner)
Courtesy Virginia Office of the Chief Medical Examiner
On Jan. 28, 2014, the remains of a Hispanic male were found near an apartment complex off Wales Drive in Highland Springs, Henrico County, Virginia. He is believed to have been 25-35 years of age.
(Courtesy Virginia Office of the Chief Medical Examiner)
Courtesy Virginia Office of the Chief Medical Examiner
WASHINGTON — With hopes of unraveling the puzzle of death, Virginia’s chief medical examiner’s office on Tuesday unveiled facial models of eight unidentified people whose remains were found in the commonwealth.
“We hope that by presenting the facial approximations to the public someone will recognize one of these individuals as their long lost loved one,” Chief Medical Examiner William Gormley said in a news release.
Identifying the remains can help the investigators determine how they died and possibly provide closure for their families, Lara Newell, medical legal death investigator for the commonwealth.
“Most of these deaths are undetermined in cause and manner,” Newell said.
According to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, the remains of three people were discovered at separate times in Stafford County and two sets of remains were found in Caroline County. Individual remains were also found in Henrico, James City and York counties.
“We’re working with local law enforcement authorities to help identify these individuals, and we encourage anyone with information that may lead to identifying these individuals profiled to contact us,” Gormley said.
There are currently 283 unidentified people statewide, with some remains dating back to the 1960s. Newell said the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner tries to have composites made whenever they have remains that allow for it.
Newell said these types of composites have led to at least six positive identifications in Virginia.
Those with information about a person in one of these images are asked to call the medical examiner’s office at 804-786-3174. The images are also available online.
