Hunters in McMinn County find human remains in woods

MCMINN COUNTY, Tenn. (WDEF) — The McMinn County Sheriff’s Office is investigating after hunters found human remains in the woods.

Sheriff Joe Guy said the case is an active investigation.

The hunters found the remains west of Athens, off Highway 30, according to the sheriff’s office. They found the remains on Thursday just after 10 a.m., near County Road 119. Sheriff Guy said this is “in the area of the Double C and Friendly City Body Shop.”

The sheriff’s office said the hunters believed it to be skeletal human remains, and then showed sheriff’s deputies where they found it.

Sheriff Guy said they found them several yards off Highway 30, in the woods. Deputies immediately secured the area as a possible crime scene.

Deputies collected what they called partial human remains. Now the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and the District Attorney’s Office are investigating as well. Authorities sent the remains to the Knoxville Forensics Center.

The sheriff’s office is unable to determine any information on the remains, such as cause of death, age or sex of the victim. However, the Forensics Center will conduct testing to determine that information.