ANDERSON COUNTY (KYTX) - An Anderson County man finds human remains on his property, and now three agencies are trying to figure out who it is.
The strips of caution tape around trees mark Sunday's investigation. The small Anderson County road that was blocked off by sheriff's deputies is less than a mile away from Wilford Suber's home.
"Naturally I was surprised," he says. "It was unexpected."
It was especially surprising for the man who owns the property, when he discovered the badly decomposed body Sunday afternoon. He found it on his land on Highway 155 near FM 321, north of Palestine. As soon as he saw it, he called the Anderson County Sheriff's Office.
Investigators say the body found in the wooded area was so decomposed they could not determine it's race, gender or age.
Anderson County's Chief Deputy, Troy Black, says preliminary investigations show the body could have been there anywhere from 5 days to a month. He says the body's state made it difficult to compare any missing persons reports.
Mr. Suber is a retired Dallas Police Officer, and remembers working similar cases.
"I did that for 25 years so that's common when I was working, but now that I'm retired, it's kind of unusual to find a body so near to where you live," he said.
With many similar investigations under his belt, Suber says even when bodies are badly decomposed, there are ways to identify the person.
"There's a good possibility that they will. Maybe through dental records, or something of that nature."
He just hopes they're able to figure out the identity, and whether they've uncovered a crime.
The remains have been sent for an autopsy, and Deputy Black says he should have results back in about two days.
The Texas Rangers and Anderson County District Attorney's Office are helping the Sheriff's Office with the investigation.
