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Remains turned over to BPD by resident identified as Native American

By Howard B. Owens

The skeletal remains from a residence on Seneca Avenue, Batavia, have been identified as male, 17 to 25 years of age and of Native American ancestry, Batavia PD said in a statement today.

The findings are consistent with what police were originally told by the resident who contacted BPD, that a relative had located the remains in Letchworth State Park in the 1950s while hunting for arrowheads.

The Tonawanda Seneca Nation has been contacted. The remains will receive a proper burial by the tribe.

Det. Kevin Czora led the investigation into the remains, which included numerous interviews and an examination of the remains by anthropological scientists. 

There is no evidence of injury to the individual and the remains were likely buried in the park for an extended period of time.

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