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Police ID’s remains found in Obyan
Dr. Espinola rules that further analysis on bone fragments needed to determine cause of death
Police have already identified the person whose skeletal remains were found in a jungle area near Obyan Beach on Monday, according to Department of Public Safety acting spokesman Jason Tarkong yesterday.
Tarkong, however, stated that the identification will not be released pending notification of the next of kin. He did not elaborate.
“The case remains open and under investigation,” Tarkong said.
As this developed, Guam chief medical examiner Dr. Aurelio Espinola’s autopsy on the remains did not reveal any type of identifiable trauma such as fracture, stab, or gunshot.
Tarkong said Espinola stated that further microscopic analysis on bone fragments from the skull is needed to determine the cause of death.
Espinola did the autopsy at the Commonwealth Health Center’s morgue on Tuesday at 8:36pm.
Tarkong said when investigators responded to the scene on Monday, they believed that the skeletal remains could possibly be that of a female.
Tarkong also disclosed that DPS crime scene technicians collected women’s clothing within the general location of the remains.
Tarkong said crime scene technicians arrived at the scene along with detectives from the Commonwealth Bureau of Investigation and they processed the site and the remains on Monday afternoon.
He said a local resident notified DPS on Monday at 12:30pm about the discovery of human remains within the Obyan area.
Saipan Tribune learned that it was 40-year-old Jeffrey Diaz who found the skeletal remains and called the police. Diaz works as cattle manager at the farm of rancher Ernest Torres. The remains were found in the jungle area about 15 feet from the shoulder of the road, located across the Torres farm.
The site where the remains were found was about 300 to 400 feet from the intersection to the main entrance to Obyan Beach.
Diaz, who was preparing for a grazing spot for the farm’s cows, was shocked to discover the set of human skeletal remains.
There was no confirmation from DPS whether the remains could be the 19-year-old Traina Jack, who was missing and last seen in San Antonio on Oct. 22, 2014. There are four other female persons who remain missing on Saipan since 2011.
