The unidentified partial remains of two people found in Westport over the past 12 years will be examined by the Bristol County District Attorney's Office's Cold Case Unit, in an attempt to provide closure to the families.

The remains — a skull found near the Back Eddy in October 2010, and another found at Cherry & Webb Beach in May 2019 — are among dozens of unidentified remains found across Bristol County over the past 40 years. While technology may not have provided the answers investigators were seeking when they were found, the district attorney's office wrote in a recent press release that many cold cases, including those in Westport, will be re-examined using the latest genealogical technology and forensic testing, to finally identify them.

The Westport Harbor skull

On Oct. 6, 2010, a man quahogging near a vacant boat slip behind the Back Eddy recovered what appeared to be a human skull from the water, which was approximately eight to 10 feet deep.

He wrapped the skull in plastic and brought it to the Westport Police Station. The Massachusetts State Police Underwater Recovery Team responded and searched the area where the skull was found, but no other evidence or skeletal remains were recovered.  The following day, the skull was transported to the Medical Examiner’s office for further examination.

A further examination by a forensic anthropologist suggested that the human skull most likely belonged to a Caucasian male whose age could have ranged from approximately 30 to 70 years of age and died at least six months before the discovery, and possibly years earlier.

District attorney's office officials said three men died or were lost in boating mishaps near the entrance to the Westport Harbor during the 1970s. Although portions of two of them were later recovered, the skulls were not.

The human skull was subsequently sent for DNA testing, but though a DNA profile was successfully extracted, it was insufficient. Since that time, investigators’ attempts to match this DNA have been unsuccessful and this case is also being reviewed for forensic genetic genealogical testing.

Cherry & Webb skull

On May 26, 2019, police were dispatched to Cherry & Webb Beach for a report of a possible human skull found on the beach.  Police responded and met with a woman who said she and her daughter had been walking along the shoreline approximately a quarter mile west of Mullin’s Way when they noticed what appeared to be a skull where the waves reached the beach.  She moved the skull to prevent it from being washed away and promptly called the police.

The skull was subsequently taken to the Medical Examiner’s Office where it was examined and determined to be a human, adult skull.  However, no age, sex, race or estimate of when this death occurred could be determined. The skull was later sent for further examination and a DNA profile was successfully recovered and uploaded, though no match was found.

This case is under further review to determine whether an identification could be made using genetic genealogy.