The FBI and the Madison County Sheriff’s Office recovered human remains from a remote wooded area off Stackhouse Road in Marshall, North Carolina, in the Pisgah National Forest on October 29.

Hunters made the discovery on October 28 and notified the Madison County Sheriff’s Office, who contacted the FBI. Agents and deputies hiked to the remote area and secured the scene. The FBI is leading the investigation, as the agency has jurisdiction on federally owned land.

The FBI’s Evidence Response Team meticulously processed the area to preserve the remains and uncover all available evidence. The remains will be sent to the FBI Laboratory at Quantico, Virginia. It is too early in the investigation to know the identity of the person or their cause of death.

No additional information will be released until a positive identification is made. The U.S. Forest Service, the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, and the Walnut Fire Department assisted with the recovery operation.