Dave Brooksher

Redwood Times

Despite having completed their examination of the remains, the Human Identification Lab at CSU Chico is still working on their report for law enforcement. According to Greg van Patten with the Mendocino County sheriff's office, the remains were picked up from the lab last Tuesday.

The case in question involves an unidentified human body that was found buried near the banks of the Eel River. A shoe had been protruding from the earth there for several years, but eventually someone noticed that it was in fact attached to a human foot. Law enforcement believes this case could date back a decade or more - which means that it may prove difficult to narrow down the victim's identity.

"We were hopeful they were going to have it done by the time we picked up the remains, but that didn't happen," van Patten said of the lab's identification report. He says there's still no estimate on how long it will take before more information is available. "While we were there, they were completely filled with other cases. They're pretty busy.”