Search for arrowheads leads hobbyist to human bones in rural Louisiana field, cops say

A search for Native American arrowheads in a rural eastern Louisiana took an alarming turn, when the hobbyist instead found a skeleton, according to the Washington Parish Sheriff’s Office.

The discovery was made Thursday, Jan. 19, along a narrow road that ends at a cemetery. The nearest town is Sun, about 65 miles north of New Orleans.

“A citizen searching for arrowheads in a field on the east end of Chadell Road discovered what he believed to be human bones,” the sheriff’s office said.

“He notified the Washington Parish Sheriff’s Office and detectives were dispatched to the scene. ... Detectives determined the bones were likely human.”

The site, which is on the St. Tammany Parish line, has been declared a crime scene, and has been searched for evidence. The bones were later collected and taken to a forensic anthropology lab for analysis, officials said.

“There are still many unanswered questions concerning this death,” Washington Parrish Sheriff Randy Seal said in the release.

“Anyone who knows of a male who has been unaccounted for during the past few months is asked to contact (the department). The person could have been local, but it is possible he was from a nearby parish or Mississippi county.”

The bones were found so close to the St. Tammany Parish border that “there was some question” as to which sheriff’s office had authority. It has since been determined they were on the St. Tammany Parish said of the line, which has taken over the investigation, officials said.

Investigators did not release the name of the person who found the bones.

This story was originally published January 23, 2023 at 2:33 PM with the headline "Search for arrowheads leads hobbyist to human bones in rural Louisiana field, cops say."