Skeletal remains found in Obyan

A cattle manager who was looking for a grazing spot for his cows was shocked to discover a set of skeletal remains in a jungle area located across the Torres farm near Obyan Beach on Monday at noon.

As this developed, Department of Public Safety Commissioner James C. Deleon Guerrero said yesterday that Guam chief medical examiner Dr. Aurelio Espinola will conduct an autopsy and that the case has been classified as “recovered human remains.”

Cousins Jeffrey and Tom Diaz point to the location where they found the human skeletal remains in the jungle area across the Torres farm near Obyan Beach on Monday at noon. An autopsy will be conducted on the remains. (Ferdie de la Torre)

In a news briefing, Deleon Guerrero said a worker at the Torres farm discovered the skull and other skeletal remains in the jungle area about 15 feet from the shoulder of the road.

The site where the remains were found was about 300 to 400 feet from the intersection to the main entrance of Obyan Beach.

Saipan Tribune learned that it was 40-year-old Jeffrey Diaz who found the skeletal remains and called the police. Diaz works as a cattle manager at the farm of rancher Ernest Torres.

Diaz said he was laying the cable line in the jungle area for the cows to eat on the side of the road—which they have been doing every other week—when he saw the skull. When he looked further down, he saw the bones for the torso and the rest of the body.

He said the skull was separated from the body.

“I saw like pieces of clothing but they looked old, shredded,” he said, adding that he’s not sure if the clothing were for a male or female.

“I was shocked when I first saw the skull. I thought I was seeing something…,” Diaz said.

He then immediately went out to the road, called his cousin Tom Diaz, and then 911.

He said his cousin Tom was about to let the cows out from the fence at the time.

Diaz said they usually tie the cable next to the road, but on Monday he decided to tie it further into the jungle so the cows can eat more grass. The cable is electrified as a means to control the grazing range of the cows.

Diaz and his cousin said they observed that the bones still had dried skins and that the skull still had teeth. They did not see any weapon next to the remains.

The cousins noted that there are many stray dogs in the area.

Commissioner Deleon Guerrero said every time an incident of this kind occurs, their first reaction is to make sure that they coordinate all activities at the crime scene.

“That’s absolutely critical so that in the event that we find out that the person has been a victim of a homicide, then they want to make sure that all of the evidence are properly collected and properly preserved,” Deleon Guerrero said.

He said the next part is to make sure that they notify the chief prosecutor and the attorney general since they have full interest in ensuring that prosecution of this type of cases is successfully done in court.

The commissioner said DPS will not be releasing any additional information until they figure out how old the remains are “and so forth.”

Deleon Guerrero is also asking the public for any information regarding how the body got there or for any information about the case.

He refused to comment about the clothes found at the scene, saying they don’t want to speculate.

DPS acting spokesman Jason Tarkong said it’s too early to tell whether the remains belong to a child or an adult.

Commissioner Deleon Guerrero said the location of the remains was quite a distance from where the car of missing Saipan Fresh Market owner Zhi Yuan Li was found abandoned last January. Li has never been found.

Five other persons remain missing on Saipan.

Then-10-year-old Faloma and 9-year-old Maleina Luhk were last seen on May 25, 2011, near a bus stop pavilion in As Teo.

Japanese sisters Chinatsu Yamada, 26, and Natsuki Yamada, 33, have been missing since June 2014. Their rental car was recovered at Wing Beach in Marpi.

Traina Jack, then 19 years old, was last seen in San Antonio on Oct. 22, 2014.