Skull Found by Hikers May Solve Old Mystery

A child’s skull and tattered clothing discovered by hikers in a wooded area probably belonged to a 6-year-old boy who vanished from the town of Paradise Pines in 1992, Butte County Sheriff’s officials said.

The discovery may bring closure to the five-year mystery surrounding the disappearance of Danny Hohenstein, which spawned fears of abduction and triggered a massive search and rescue effort in the brush-filled ravines of Butte Creek Canyon.

The boy was playing with a cocker spaniel when he vanished from a residential street at dusk Dec. 1, 1992.

“This has been a hard day for me, but I need closure,” said Danny’s mother, Jacklyn Carter. “If this is it, maybe I can put him to rest.”

Although more thorough analysis of the clothing and the skull will be conducted by the FBI, officials said initial computer imaging conducted at Cal State Chico is consistent with a 1992 photograph of Danny.

The cause of death was unknown Tuesday and may never be determined, according to Larry Estes, a sheriff’s lieutenant and chief deputy coroner.