MONTGOMERY COUNTY — Coroner’s office investigators are working to identify the remains that were recently found in Preble County.
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As reported on News Center 7 at 6:00, there are no new developments in this hour about the discovery.
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As previously reported in February, the remains found in a field went to the coroner’s office. Ten days later, the remains were identified as 49-year-old Robert Haney.
But some results take months and even years, despite the expert’s best efforts.
“Or then of course you could go DNA, which is kind of the golden standard at this point,” Kaitlyn Nicholson said.
Nicholson is the quality manager at the Miami Valley Regional Crime Lab.
She showed News Center 7 the small office where their new rapid DNA instrument sits.
This is where they turn when fingerprints, identifying marks, dental or medical implant records fail.
But even DNA testing is not completely effective in helping investigators identify human remains.
“So, depending on the sample, you’re going to have to have family members and have something to compare it,” Nicholson said.
Nicholson said the remains are only one of several unidentified cases where they work each week.
The Preble County sheriff told News Center 7 that someone discovered the skeletal remains in an empty building along Eaton-Lewisburg Road on Tuesday night.
“I was definitely shocked. I did find out a couple of years ago that there were people squatting there, which I thought was kind of crazy,” Brittney Smith, of Preble County, said.
Investigators are working on their steps to make an identification.
It can take a long time.
As previously reported in September, prospective homebuyers stumbled across human remains on Delphos Avenue.
Investigators didn’t identify the remains as 69-year-old Steven Wortham until March of this year.
BCI is still working to identify remains discovered by a brush-clearing crew at a home in Enon last September.
Those who work in this field say it’s always worth it.
“What happened to my loved one? And that’s always the first step for closure for them,” Nicholson said.
News Center 7 will continue to follow this story.
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