2 Bodies Found in Tuolumne County; Investigations Underway

A KVML Exclusive this Monday morning:

Tuolumne County Sheriff´s investigators are looking into two separate cases of human remains which were found over the weekend.

The first was found on the grounds of Columbia State Park, and the second was found in the Groveland area.

Lieutenant Roger Dittburner with the Tuolumne County Sheriff´s Department says both cases are suspicious deaths, and while investigators have clues as to the bodies´ identities, names are not being released until forensic autopsies can yield dental and bone information.

In the first case, a body was found by a citizen on Stagecoach Road at the back of Columbia State Park, on park property, according to Lt. Dittburner.

The body was badly decomposed and likely had been there for several months.

Officials believe the corpse is that of a male adult, and the Investigations Department of the Tuolumne County Sheriff´s Office is working on the case.

In the second case, near the intersection of Lumsden and Ferretti Roads, citizens reported body parts found in the woods.

Lt. Dittburner said wild animals may have been using the remains as a food source.

A vehicle was also parked nearby, said Lt. Dittburner, but it´s still unclear if the vehicle is related to the remains which were found.

Dittburner added that, in this case, the remains may have only been at the scene for a few days.

Investigators, Tuolumne County Search and Rescue crews, and cadaver dogs are at that location again today looking for additional clues or forensic evidence.

The remains recovered so far are now at the Heuton Mortuary.

This case is also called a suspicious death, said Dittburner.

Pieces of identification were found at both scenes, giving investigators a place to start, but no names are being released in either case so far.