Student Discovers Fully Clothed Skeletal Remains with Apparent ‘Decaying Hair’ in Woods Near Ohio High School

Authorities are investigating after a student runner stumbled upon what appeared to be fully-dressed skeletal remains in a wooded area near an Ohio high school earlier this week.

The grim discovery was reported on the evening of Wednesday, Oct. 1, when La Salle High School Assistant Principal Nick Jarrell called 911 to report that a member of the school’s cross-country team had found what looked like a human skeleton in the woods behind the Monfort Heights campus, according to NBC affiliate WLWT and The Cincinnati Enquirer.

“A kid on our cross-country team went into the woods and found, I mean, I don’t know if it’s real or not, a skeleton in full outfit with a phone in its pocket,” Jarrell told the 911 dispatcher, according to WLWT’s report. He added that “there’s, like, it looks to be decaying hair on the skull,” noting that the remains were above ground.

Jarrell said the clothing appeared to belong to a man.

The Green Township Police Department later confirmed the discovery in a statement shared on social media, writing that officers “responded to the scene and confirmed the report.” Investigators have since launched an inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the discovery.

In an update, police said preliminary evidence led them to believe they had identified the deceased individual. “At this time, there is no evidence to suggest any foul play is involved,” authorities stated. The department has not yet provided further details and did not respond to additional requests for comment.

News of the discovery left local residents stunned. Paul King, a nearby resident, told WLWT he initially couldn’t believe what his son was telling him. “I said, ‘Was it, like, a decoration?’ He said, ‘No, they have the coroner and everything up there,’” King recalled.

King also remembered noticing a foul odor in the area several months earlier, he told FOX affiliate WXIX. “That’s kind of frightening,” he said of the discovery.

Authorities have not said how long the remains had been in the woods or how they came to rest there.

When reached for comment on Friday, Oct. 3, the Hamilton County Coroner’s Office said the identity of the deceased has not been released and that both the cause and manner of death remain under investigation.