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Update: Body found in state park is man; ID to take time
The body found by a volunteer worker in Lake Kegonsa State Park on Monday is that of a non-white male in his 30s or 40s with curly, short black hair and several dental fillings, according to a preliminary investigation by the Dane County Coroner's Office and the Dane County Sheriff's Office.
Law enforcement and forensics officials were on the scene Tuesday doing a careful examination of the area surrounding the body, clothed but in a skeletal state, found off a popular hiking trail in the park along the northeast shore of Lake Kegonsa a few miles north of Stoughton.
Coroner John Stanley said the body had been in the park for possibly several months, most likely within this year.
According to WISC-TV, the body was removed from the park Tuesday night.
"Several additional forensic studies will be
conducted in an effort to establish an identity for the remains,
and determine the manner and cause of death." Coroner John Stanley
said in a release Wednesday. "Results of those examinations
probably won't be available for several weeks."
DNA samples are to be taken from the body to cross-reference the DNA with a national missing persons database. Identification and determining the cause of death might take some time, Stanley said.
Sheriff's office spokesperson Elise Schaffer said the scene is being treated as a crime scene, and several pieces of evidence had been discovered near the site where the body was found.
The area where investigators, including a forensic anthropologist, a forensic entomologist and a dental expert, are working has been closed to the public, but most of the park is still open.
Schaffer said the public is being asked not to cross into any area that has been taped off.
She added that anyone with information about the case can call the tip line at 608-284-6900.
