Posted on 04/06/2006 11:13:34 AM PDT by absolootezer0
EATON RAPIDS TOWNSHIP - Law enforcement officials in two counties are investigating whether a human skull found in the Grand River is that of Leon Ward Lockwood or Phuong Thanh Tran.
The remains of Lockwood, the stepson of Jim Cash, a well-known East Lansing screenwriter and Michigan State University professor, were found last June in the Red Cedar River near Webberville in Ingham County - about 30 miles from where the skull was found.
Tran’s decapitated body was found in a sport utility vehicle parked in the driveway of his parents’ Delhi Township home in Ingham County in December.
Two men in a canoe discovered what they thought initially was a deer skull at approximately 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, according to officials. It was partially buried in mud along the Grand River.
The skull and other remains that police would not identify were taken to the morgue at Sparrow Hospital for further evaluation.
Dr. Todd Fenton, a forensic anthropologist from Michigan State University is on the scene, along with Dr. Joyce deJong, a forensic pathologist from Sparrow Hospital.
The Eaton County Sheriff’s Office is the lead investigating agency. Officials said they are investigating whether the skull was that of Lockwood.
Ingham County Sheriff’s officials said they are investigating whether the skull is that of Tran.
A dive team from the Ingham County Sheriff Department as well as Lansing’s dive team is assisting in the search for evidence.
The search area is a wooded area in a remote section of the Grand River.
Officials are treating the case as a homicide. The sex and race of the individual has not yet been determined.
Eaton County Sheriff Sgt. Rod Sadler said, “The skull was completely void of any tissue and hair.”
He added that part of the jaw was found about 10 feet away from the base of the skull.
Officials said cadaver dogs will be used in a search that will begin this afternoon to focus on an area around Bunker Highway, Michigan Road and the Grand River.
Officials said they are looking for evidence and considering the entire area a crime scene for now.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.