Sheriff’s deputies investigating after human remains found in woods north of Alder Lake

Pierce County Sheriff’s Department is investigating after a woman’s dog led her to human remains Monday morning in a wooded area north of Alder Lake.

Deputies responded shortly after 9 a.m. for a report of a person who’d found a skull, the Sheriff’s Department said in a statement. Sgt. Darren Moss said a woman had let her dog out, and the pet immediately ran across the street toward the woods. He said the woman saw a skull from the road and called it in.

Alder Lake is about 8 miles south of Eatonville. Deputies went to the woman’s home, and she told them where she’d found the remains. Detectives and forensic investigators were called to the scene, and the Sheriff’s Department said detectives found more remains nearby.

The cause and manner of the person’s death is not known. Moss said the Pierce County medical examiner took custody of the remains and will work to identify the person. From Moss’s description, the remains were badly decomposed. He said the remains were partially covered by foliage, and nothing was left but bones.

Moss said it’s too early to say whether the remains belong to a missing person. Identifying remains in such a condition can be a lengthy process, but Moss said he hopes the use of DNA can get investigators some answers.