A man was searching for deer antlers in a rural southeast Kansas area over the weekend when he found human skeletal remains, according to officials.
State and local authorities responded to the scene around 5:30 p.m. Saturday near Humboldt, a small town about 110 miles from Kansas City.
Officials were able to confirm the remains were human, but they were so decomposed that age and gender were not immediately apparent. An autopsy will be performed to positively identify the remains and notify the next of kin.
A large collection of deer antlers found in Kansas by a trio of brothers. (Michael Pearce/Wichita Eagle/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
The Kansas Bureau of Investigation and the Allen County Sheriff’s Office are investigating the case, but do not believe there is a threat to the public.
“In these types of cases investigators typically consider people who have been reported missing in the area,” a spokesperson for the Kansas Bureau of Investigation told Fox News Digital.
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Bucks shed their antlers each year in late winter and spring after mating season. February is the best time for people to explore the Kansas countryside, according to the state Department of Wildlife and Parks.
The branches were found in a wooded area near Humboldt, a small town about 110 miles from Kansas City. (Jill Toyoshiba/The Kansas City Star/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
Hunters and hikers have accidentally helped solve missing persons cases by searching for ancient antlers.
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In December 2021, a man searching for deer antlers in the woods of southern Missouri discovered the human remains of a martial arts fighter who had disappeared nearly two years earlier.
Paul Best is a breaking news reporter for Fox News Digital and Fox Business. Story tips and ideas can be sent to Paul.Best@fox.com and on Twitter: @KincaidBest.