Body Parts Found In Remote Areas In Arizona: Authorities

PRESCOTT, AZ — Authorities in central Arizona are working to identify several body parts that were found in remote areas while scouring the landscape to determine if there are more, the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office said Monday.

A woodcutter on Saturday found one set of remains near Prescott. A hunter discovered other remains at a separate site northwest of Prescott, said sheriff’s spokesman Dwight D’Evelyn.

“We are as baffled as anyone else, when we got the news the next day that additional remains were found,” he told the Associated Press. “We thought, ‘Well, that can’t be.’ But sure enough, there they are. And two separate reporting parties who have no connection to another.”

The remains were in plain sight and believed to be connected to a medical institution, authorities said. They could have been used for education or research, based on tags that were found with some of the body parts, D’Evelyn said. White absorbent pads with blue trim also were found at both locations, he said.

The sheriff’s office did not say what types of body parts were found but said they appear to have been dumped recently. One site is located in the Camp Wood area off Williamson Valley and the second is near Contreras and Iron Springs Roads.

The medical examiner’s office is working to identify them and trace their origins. In the meantime, authorities are using drones and police dogs to search the two areas located a few miles apart, D’Evelyn said.

Under Arizona law, it’s a felony to knowingly move body parts to abandon or conceal them.

“It is not much that could surprise me anymore, but this news makes me sick, especially for the families of those whose remains were found," Yavapai County Sheriff Scott Mascher said in a statement. "I have every assurance the persons responsible will be caught.”

Authorities are asking hunters to check their game cameras for any video that might help them determine how the body parts ended up in the areas. The public has also been asked to reach out to the sheriff’s office with any information related to the case.

The Associated Press contributed to this reporting.