Scattered Body Parts Offer Clues to Investigators

By Gan Matthews, NEWS 9

NORMAN, Oklahoma -- Two separate discoveries of human remains have led investigators to believe they may have the found the body of a man, scattered in the eastern part of Cleveland County.

On Christmas Day, a dog discovered a human skull. The pet's owner immediately notified the Cleveland County Sheriff's office, which began searching for more body parts.

On January 9, the officer's search dogs made a discovery.

"Anytime you have animals involved in an area where you have a human body, those animals are going...to claim that area," said Undersheriff Rhett Burnett said. "They're going to investigate that area, they're going to come back to it more than once.

The dogs led officers to a wooded area, close to the place where the skull was found.

The officers found a body, but no skull.

The Sheriff's office has since reviewed its missing persons reports and have narrowed the search down to a few cases.

"You can't rule out natural causes," Burnett said. "But we are treating it as a homicide."

Cleveland County Sheriff's Office has not disclosed the area where the remains were found, but does expect to have a positive identification soon.

Anyone who may assist in information concerning the identification of the body can contact the Cleveland County Sheriff's Office at (405) 321-8600 and ask to speak to an investigator.