Human remains found in Dayton determined to be old, not related to crime or investigation
On Monday, a construction crew was digging a trench in the 200 block of Dayton Valley Road in Dayton, Nev. Workers discovered some bones that appeared to be human and contacted the Lyon County Sheriff’s Office.
Patrol deputies responded and determined the bones were in fact human and summoned Detectives to the scene. The area was cordoned off and detectives determined that the area would have to be properly excavated as more bones were believed to be in the trench that was being dug. It was late in the day and the sun was getting ready to set, so the area was secured and plans were made to have the scene excavated the following day.
Because the Lyon County Sheriff’s Office is working some open, unsolved cold cases, detectives operated out of an abundance of caution to assure the remains were fully investigated to determine if they were related to any on-going investigations.
On Tuesday Oct. 29, 2019, the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office Forensic Investigation Section was requested to assist in the excavation and responded personnel to Dayton. Detectives and WCSO Forensic Criminalist’s examined the trench and sifted through a large amount of dirt and ultimately found several additional bones, to include teeth, that all appeared to be human. The bones were all collected and arrangements were made through the Washoe County Medical Examiner’s Office to have the bones examined by a forensic anthropologist.
The examination took place on Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2019, and detectives were advised that the bones were that of an adult male and they were found to be very old. No date was provided on the age of the bones, however they were deemed to be so old that they were not related to any crime or investigation.
Once the search of the area was completed, the construction resumed and Dayton Valley Road was opened with no lane restrictions. The Lyon County Sheriff’s Office would like to thank the public for their understanding during the lane reduction in the area and the disruption the search may have caused.