Human remains thought to be a century old discovered at University of Oklahoma
By Patrick Talbot
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NORMAN, Oklahoma (KOCO) — Human remains potentially dating back 120 years were discovered Thursday on the University of Oklahoma campus at the future site of the university’s Life Science Laboratories building, leading to an immediate halt in construction and notification of law enforcement.
Jessica Cerezo-Roman, an associate professor in the Department of Anthropology at OU, explained the significance of such discoveries.
“By finding the remains, we can tell a lot about the story of who these people are. If the remains are well-preserved, or even if they’re not well-preserved, we can tell many things and the stories about them,” Cerezo-Roman said.
The University of Oklahoma stated that work was stopped immediately upon the discovery, and law enforcement was notified.
The state’s medical examiner’s office classified the remains as nonforensic, indicating no criminal investigation is necessary. Its anthropologist is on-site but has waived jurisdiction, allowing the state’s archaeologist to take over the investigation.
Cerezo-Roman spoke of the importance of archaeological expertise in handling such discoveries.
“It requires the technical expertise of archaeologists to carefully document how they are found in the ground and carefully remove them,” Cerezo-Roman said.
The University of Oklahoma expressed its commitment to ensuring the remains are handled with care, dignity and respect.
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