Decomposed body not easy to identify, official says

Coroners will call on a forensic anthropologist to help identify a man whose remains were discovered in a field outside Wichita city limits earlier this week, a Sedgwick County sheriff’s official said Wednesday.

His body “was in an advanced state of decomposition” when a landowner came across it while mowing near a house in the 14800 block of West 13th Street around 3:20 p.m. Monday. The body’s condition is making it difficult to immediately and easily determine how the man died.

Authorities who need help identifying skeletal remains and what led to the person’s demise often seek the help of forensic anthropologists because they have specialized knowledge in the study of bones.

“The coroner’s office will be consulting with a forensic anthropologist to go through the remains to see if they can determine a cause and manner of death,” Lt. Lin Dehning said.

It’s too early to tell exactly how long the man’s body was in the field. But Dehning said Tuesday the Sheriff’s Office thinks the body is that of a transient man.

The Sedgwick County Regional Forensic Science Center was scheduled to conduct an autopsy Tuesday. There was no immediate evidence of foul play, Dehning said.

This story was originally published May 17, 2017 at 11:12 AM with the headline "Decomposed body not easy to identify, official says."