Skull Fragments Belonged to Young Male

Human skull fragments found in the Tonner Canyon area several miles north of Brea belonged to a male 17 to 32 years old, according to Sheriff’s Department officials who ask that anyone who finds other fragments contact them.

A part of a skull was found in early April in the dry bed of a stream in the canyon. Two weeks later, county workers spraying for mosquitoes in a flood control channel in Brea discovered “the sinus area and rear of the head,” officials said. They believe that piece was flushed downstream from Tonner Canyon Creek.

A third piece was found more recently in the canyon area, officials said.

The skull fragments were turned over to a county forensic anthropologist who determined the age of the bone, Sheriff’s Lt. Ron Wilkerson said.

“It’s apparently not ancient,” Wilkerson said of the skull. “It’s not an artifact. They are not sure how long the bones have been there, but certainly not more than a number of years.”

Wilkerson said investigators are treating the incident as a homicide “until they can rule that out.”

He asked that anyone who has come across other fragments or does so in the future call homicide investigator Dan Stack at (714) 647-7050.

“We did some search efforts, but with the riverbed area it was impossible to narrow it down,” Wilkerson said. “We expect that people have or will find some [more bones] and if they do, we’d like to know.”