Man’s remains yield few clues

Body found near Bayshore power plant likely age 40-65

7/29/2014
BLADE STAFF

An anthropological analysis of skeletal remains found behind Toledo Edison’s Bayshore power plant do not provide investigators with much information, but they hope to learn more from checking missing persons reports from the region.

The analysis determined that the remains, found July 17, belong to a man whose age is estimated between 40 and 65, said Lucas County Deputy Coroner Dr. Diane Scala-Barnett.

“The age range is wide because many of the indicators that are used on a skeleton for age evaluation are either missing or there’s postmortem scavenging from animals, rodents, or fish,” Dr. Scala-Barnett said.

Anthropologists believe the man was white, but he could also have been of mixed ancestry. He had no original teeth and closed tooth sockets, which indicate that he’d had dentures for an extended period.

He was about 5 feet, 7 inches to 5 feet, 10 inches tall. The man is believed to have been dead fewer than six months.

The remains were not found with any clothing. Nothing indicates a cause of death.

Officials from the coroner’s office said they will be in contact with law enforcement agencies in Michigan and around the Lake Erie region looking for missing fishermen.

Anyone with information is asked to call the coroner’s office at 419-213-3900.