Inslee asks that 8,500-year-old Kennewick Man be turned over to Native American tribes

SEATTLE -- Gov. Jay Inslee on Tuesday asked the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to return the remains of the 8,500-year-old "Kennewick Man" to Native American tribes in light of new DNA evidence.

Kennewick Man -- also called "The Ancient One" by tribes -- was discovered in August 1996 by two college students along the Columbia River in Kennewick.

The remains were turned over to the Walla Walla District Corp of Engineers that owned the shorelines along the river.

Subsequent radiocarbon dating revealed the remains were approximately 8,500 years old, one of the oldest set of human remains from North America ever discovered.

A new study released last week says DNA analysis shows a genetic link to modern Native Americans.

Click here for earlier story on the study  >>> In what may resolve long dispute, Kennewick Man linked by DNA to modern Native Americans