Bones found in Adams County field

Find leads to possibilities in missing person cases

ADAMS COUNTY — Authorities are working to identify bones found in a vacant farm field near the Franklin County line, in an area which has previously been searched for missing children.

Adams County Sheriff Doug Barger said he's hoping a forensic anthropologist will be able to give some clarity on the situation, but said they believe they have collected both animal and human bones at the scene.

The sheriff's office stated in a news release that a local farmer was removing garbage from his burned field when he noticed the bones on his land. An initial search of the area was conducted Aug. 12.

Deputies again searched the area late last week in an attempt to recover the bones, which Barger said were spread throughout the farmer's property. The sheriff's office called in help from the FBI, Kittitas County Search and Rescue, Adams County Sheriff's Posse and community volunteers to search the area. Due to its size, Barger said they needed the larger resources to aid in the search.

The bones were found in a 100-acre field which was the location of several spot fires started by a pickup truck in July. The bones went through the fire, Barger said. The property is located a mile north of the Franklin County line, just to the east of Highway 395.

Barger could not discuss the number of bones found, only to say numerous bones were discovered on the property. He said it is not known if the bones are of an adult or child, or if the bones are ancient or modern. The sheriff's office has also been unable to determine the age and gender of bone pieces.

"We have not eliminated that these are ancient bones, whether they are Native American or pioneer or something like that," Barger said.

The bones are being sent this week to Katherine M. Taylor, a forensic anthropologist with the King County medical examiner's office in Seattle.

Results are not expected for another two weeks.

The bones will be referenced with all missing persons cases in the area. Barger said he knew of two involving children, but said he hasn't ruled out other missing person cases near the scene.

The area was covered previously in searches for two missing children — Sofia Juarez, 5, of Kennewick, who vanished in February 2003 after being given $1 by her mother to buy candy at a neighborhood convenience store, and Cody Haynes, 11, described by his parents as a runaway after he disappeared from his home in Kittitas in September 2004.

Authorities have DNA samples from both children.

Barger said the majority of the bones are probably going to turn out to be animal bones, but said investigators are hoping the bones give them enough DNA for a match.

"We are hoping," Barger said. "We are surely hoping. Obviously our investigation moves a lot faster with the more information we can get out of this."