WASHINGTON, Pa. — A local funeral home director says he was stunned to learn human remains were found in a wooded area behind a home he owns.
A woman walking through the area of Terrace Avenue, along 1-70 in the City of Washington, called police after she came across the skeletal remains on Sunday.
>>> Human remains found near highway in Washington County
The home that butts up to the wooded area is owned by local funeral home director, Michael Neal.
“It was quite unexpected,” Neal said. “I was at church with my wife when I got the call from the police officer. It’s just very unfortunate and you watch the news every day, and something like this happens every day, but you don’t expect it to happen in one of your backyards.”
Neal owns William Neal Funeral Homes on Allison Avenue in Washington, PA. It was his dad’s business before he passed away. It’s just across the street from Terrace Avenue and the property he owns. Neal says he hasn’t been on that property in years.
“I was born and raised on that street, and oftentimes people would wander up there to sleep or party or do whatever throughout my life,” Neal said. “It wasn’t 100% shocking.”
Neal says any rumors that he or his funeral home were involved in any way are outrageous.
“That would just be ludicrous to think that,” Neal said. “My reputation is stellar. Our firm is of the highest regard. We would never do anything like that.”
Neal says the land where the remains were found is actually owned by the state.
“It’s just vacant land that’s partially wooded within the circle of the highway and the exit ramp off of Interstate 70,” Neal added. “It’s a buffer zone. Just leftover property from where they put the interstate in.”
Mercyhurst’s Forensic Anthropology Team will work with the coroner to help identify who the person is and how they died.
“It’s unbelievable what they can do with just the smallest bone fragment,” Neal said. “They can identify the sex, the age, so many things. I feel pretty confident that they’re going to quickly identify this person. Our only hope - that whoever this individual is - he or she - is ultimately identified and returned to their family so they can memorialize them and get some closure.”
Neal said one of the officers told him there were clothes with the person that can be used to help identify them.
Police say they’ll treat the death as criminal until they determine otherwise. The police chief wants to make it clear that doesn’t mean a crime occurred.
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