Freestone County Constables investigated human remains found along a fence line of the Lone Star Cemetery, located in the Butler area, last week.
What’s so strange about human remains in a cemetery, you ask? Isn’t that where they belong?
Well, this particular set of remains was not in a grave or casket, but found in a random pile of dirt just inside the cemetery fence line.
More than a month ago, Paul Parrish, an 18-year-old Freestone County man going about his business stumbled across the large dirt pile and noticed some bones haphazardly protruding out.
Being an avid hunter, and familiar with what different animal bones look like, he very quickly realized these particular bones were most likely from a human.
Parrish promptly reported his findings to one law enforcement agency. Last week, when he returned to the location, the bones were in the exact same spot as where they were found, indicating that no one had investigated his report.
It was at this point that he and his mother, Bonnie Woodall, chose to report the finding to Freestone County Constables.
Since Lone Star Cemetery is located right on the line between Precincts 1 and 3, Constable Buck Bonner and Constable Pam Barnes investigated the scene with the help of Pct. 1 Chief Deputy Constable/Health Investigator, Bill Madding.
Together, the team uncovered a total of twenty pieces of human bone, including a skull cap, femur, vertebrae, and rib.
Precinct 1 Justice of the Peace, Judge Theresa Farris ordered an autopsy on the bones, and had them sent to Anthropologists LaRhonda Osborn and Danielle Armstrong of Forensic Medical of Texas based in Tyler.
Currently, this is an ongoing investigation; however, at this time there is no indication of any foul play.
In fact, reports from the Anthropologists indicate that the bones are approximately 150 years old, putting the date of death around 1869.
Due to the size of the bones, they are thought to belong to a female or a small statured male.
Constable Bonner explained that while we can’t know for sure, the mostly likely scenario of how the bones came to be in this location, and then found, is as follows:
–Given the age of the bones, the grave may not have been marked at all, was marked with a rock, or possibly a wooden cross that decomposed.
–Being that old, the casket/coffin was most likely made of wood or cardboard and therefore completely decomposed. It is also possible the body was simply wrapped in cloth before being buried.
–When digging a new grave, the grave digger did not notice the remains mixed with the dirt.
–Recent rains washed away dirt from the pile, exposing the bones.
Constable Bonner spoke with Lone Star Cemetery Association member Billie Jarmon, who just recently took over running the cemetery, following Isaac Durham.
According to Jarmon, the most recent burial was performed by a funeral home out of Palestine approximately one year ago, which coincides with how long the pile of dirt has been in its current location.
The team will return to the cemetery to make sure there are no more remains contained in the dirt pile. Once complete, they will oversee a proper reburial for the deceased.
