A duck hunter reported finding human remains Monday afternoon at a campsite in the woods near the base of Thunder Mountain.
According to a release from the Juneau Police Department, detectives found the remains at a spot about 40 minutes from the trailhead near Rainbow Road and Jennifer Drive.
The remains appeared to be one person, although decomposition prevented immediate identification. It was also not clear how long the body had been there. The remains will be sent to the Alaska State Medical Examiner’s Officer in order to determine identity and cause of death.
Juneau Police Lt. David Campbell said there was clothing and camping equipment found at the site, but the items didn’t offer any clues that would help identify the remains. Police did recover parts of a skull and lower jaw that they hope to compare with the dental records of missing persons.
Campbell said dental records would be the quickest way to identify the remains; DNA analysis would take much longer.
The location where the remains were found is near where 53-year-old Teri Heuscher was reported missing on June 24. Heuscher’s family found her car at the Under Thunder trailhead. Alaska State Troopers called off the search the next day, saying they did not have enough evidence to go on to be confident she had actually been in the area.
Campbell said the remains appeared to have been there for several months.
