Woman's skeletal remains still a mystery following suspicious death in Lewis County

MORTON, WA -- Worried that no one has missed a woman enough to report her missing, Lewis County Coroner Warren McLeod and Washington State Forensic Anthropologist Dr. Kathy Taylor are asking for the public’s help to identify a woman whose remains were found in 2011.

A composite sketch created by forensic artist Natalie Murry shows what she may look like. “There is definitely science behind it but the artist is using some artistic leeway too. We don't know what her hair looks like, we don't know what color her eyes are,” said Dr. Taylor.

The woman’s remains were was found on April 7, 2011 in the woods near a logging spur from Highway 12 just outside of Morton, WA.  “It does not mean she is from Lewis County. She could be from any of other counties. She's just ending up there. We do not know who she is. Basically, skeletally she's presenting as Caucasian but we think there's probably some ethnicity mixed in there, 20 to 35 years old and she's very petite so short stature," said Dr. Taylor.

The cause of death has not been determined but Dr. Taylor said it is suspicious and she doesn’t appear as though she would have ended up in those woods herself. "Her DNA is running. Her dentals are running in the various databases and we're not hitting so they only way we are going to get her identified is if somebody comes forward and says that they know of somebody who's missing that might be that person,” said Dr. Taylor.

She encourages anyone who reported someone missing to follow up with the law enforcement agency to make sure the information has been entered into CODIS and NaMUS. If you have any information that can help identify the woman, contact the  Lewis County Coroner’s Office at (360) 740-1376 or Lewis County Sheriff’s Det. Dan Riordan at (360) 740-2765.