Autopsy conducted on remains found near Congress Street

Published Date Written by Staff Report

An autopsy was conducted Tuesday on skeletal remains found near Hutchins Drive along Route 22, police said. The remains are believed to be those of a woman.
The medical examiner's office along with a forensic anthropologist, a state consultant, helped authorities try to identify the remains, where were found Saturday at 4 p.m.
"Someone picking blueberries and making their way back to the path, he saw something suspicious," said Portland Police Lt. Scott J. Pelletier. The man's tip led to investigation of the site. The remains apparently had been there through the winter.
"The anthropologist believes it's a female based on the bones," Pelletier said.
"Based on the growth of the vegetation underneath the remains as well as the condition of the remains, they're estimating, it's just a guess-timate, sometime in the fall ... the remains had probably been there since the fall," Pelletier said.
"We're looking at it as an investigation, obviously we have no idea yet what we've got. It's suspicious that it's human remains in an area that's not typically inhabited by people," he said.
"We have a couple of leads in trying to identify the person," Pelletier added.
Hutchins Drive is a cul de sac opposite of Skyway Drive leading from the Portland International Jetport.