FBI examining skull found in crab pot

ABERDEEN, Wash. – A skull found in a crab pot off the coast of Westport on Friday has been sent to the Federal Bureau of Investigation for DNA analysis, Grays Harbor County Undersheriff Dave Pimentel said Monday.

A local crab fisherman found the skull in one of the crab pots he pulled up early Friday morning. The pots had been out about a week, 2.3 miles off the coast, the fisherman told police.

The King County medical examiner determined the skull was “unequivocally human,” Pimentel said, and the skull was forwarded on to the FBI for further analysis.

The medical examiner believed the skull belonged to a younger person but was unable to determine age or gender, Pimentel said. The person is believed to have been deceased for some time. The amount of time the skull spent in the water is still unclear.

Rumors have flown about the skull since its discovery, some suggesting it might be that of missing McCleary youngster Lindsey Baum. Baum went missing in 2009 at age 10.

Pimentel declined to address any specific theories about where the skull came from or how it came to be in a crab pot, though he did say the fisherman is not currently suspected of any crime.

“At this point, we have no idea who the skull belongs to, and we’re not closing any doors at this point. We’re waiting for the FBI to analyze the skull and hopefully identify the remains through DNA,” he said.