By admin 
KINGSTON, Tenn. (WVLT/Gray News) – Property managers in Tennessee say they discovered something unexpected when cleaning out a vacated rental property over the summer.
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Authorities say the crew reported finding a cardboard box containing a collection of bones in July.
A newly released forensic anthropology report from the Knox County Regional Forensic Center said the “historical remains” belonged to multiple people, but they appeared likely to have been used for medical teaching rather than indicating a crime.
How the bones were discovered
On July 10, a rental home’s garage was being cleaned out after the last tenant moved out on July 1. In a storage area of the garage, they stumbled upon the box of bones and immediately called 911.
Kingston Police Department detectives and Roane County medical examiner Thomas Boduch responded.
Upon arrival, they confirmed the bones were human, specifically noting that seven cervical, or neck, vertebrae were meticulously articulated together with wire.
The homeowner’s “Cherokee Cave” story
The 80-year-old homeowner, who now lives in Georgia, told police he had known about the bones since he was 10 years old.
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He said the bones belonged to a Cherokee Indian and were originally found in a cave in Overton County, Tennessee.
The homeowner claimed they were supposed to have been donated to the University of Tennessee’s Department of Anthropology decades ago, and he believed the skull had indeed been donated years prior.
What the forensic analysis actually revealed
Forensic anthropologists Dr. Murray Marks and Dr. Daniel Franklin conducted a full skeletal analysis at the Knoxville Regional Forensic Center.
Their findings completely challenged the homeowner’s Cherokee Indian theory:
- At least five different people: Rather than a single skeleton, the box contained commingled remains representing a minimum of five distinct individuals (both adults and adolescents).
- Anatomical preparation: Almost every bone analyzed showed razor-thin scoring and cut marks consistent with manual “defleshing” using a scalpel. This, combined with the wired neck vertebrae, strongly points to the remains being part of an anatomical teaching collection used for medical or educational purposes.
- A former burial: At least one of the individuals showed distinct postmortem staining on her arm and leg bones. Anthropologists say this deep staining is highly consistent with an embalmed coffin burial, meaning those bones may have been exhumed long ago.
- Animal bones mixed in: Two bones in the box, a partial rib and a long bone fragment, were identified as non-human animal remains.
What happens next
Because the physical evidence strongly suggests these were medical teaching specimens rather than Native American remains or victims of a recent crime, forensic officials are focusing on proper disposition.
According to an addendum in the report, investigators have reached out to the University of Tennessee Repatriation Office to discuss the curation and final disposal of the remains, as well as potential DNA and ancestry analysis.
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