Skull Found In Park Possibly Prehistoric

A skull found in Herbert Hoover Park belonged to an adult American Indian woman, possibly prehistoric, a forensic anthropologist said.

John Lundy, working with the Oregon Medical Examiner’s office, said he based his decision on the shape of the face and the wear on the teeth.

He said he cannot determine precisely how old the skull is because he is not an archaeologist.

The skull could be from a paleoIndian - or prehistoric - woman, at least 1,000 years or older, he said.

Or the woman could have lived as recently as the 1700s to 1800s, he said.

She ate a traditional diet of roots that ground down her teeth, and she had not been exposed to the food of white settlers, Lundy said.

A man playing Frisbee with his son found the skull Monday in the shallow water of Hess Creek. Police searched the area but found nothing.

Police speculated the skull could have washed into the area when the park was flooded in February.