Montgomery County detectives got some help from the Smithsonian Institution in identifying a skull and other human bones found in July in a wooded area of Upper Providence Township.
The bones, which were found propped up against each other in a ritualistic arrangement, date back to the mid-1800s and were believed to have come from an old cemetery, Lt. John P. Durante, the county investigator on the case, said yesterday.
With the help of Museum of Natural History forensic experts who examined the bones on Sept. 12, Durante said, he determined that the skull belonged to a woman between age 30 and 40. A lower jawbone found with the skull was that of a 50-year-old man with considerable tooth decay, he said. The forensic experts said that as far as they could tell there was no evidence of foul play.
