Possible ID made on bones in park

Jen Lawson

Thursday, Nov. 11, 2004 | 9:36 a.m.

A cell phone in the pocket of a green hooded sweatshirt gave Metro Police a major lead in identifying the skeletal remains found Wednesday morning in a rocky culvert in a northwest Las Vegas park.

Homicide Sgt. Rocky Alby said the phone belonged to a 35-year-old man reported missing by his family Feb. 18.

"We've been told there were some mental health issues and he was going through a divorce," Alby said. "However, we don't know for sure yet if it's him."

A woman walking her dog in Mountain Crest Park at Lone Mountain Road and Durango Drive found a skull about 7:15 a.m. and called police. Six to eight feet from the skull, just inside a drainage tunnel, investigators found 24 other bone fragments, including parts of a vertebrae and a partial pelvis.

The sweatshirt and cell phone were located in the same area. Investigators contacted the cell phone company and learned the phone belonged to the missing man. His name was not released.

The muddy, mottled bones were laid out on a white sheet in the park. The damp sweatshirt and cell phone were also placed on a sheet.

Two Metro Police dogs trained in detecting cadavers sniffed in and around the culvert and tunnel Wednesday afternoon looking for more remains, and investigators used shovels and sifting equipment to search the dirt.

The arms and legs hadn't been found Wednesday afternoon, but county crews flooded the tunnel with water to see if it would flush out any additional bones.

Police have not found any indication of foul play, Alby said. Investigators with the coroner's office were scheduled to examine the remains today.

The man could have committed suicide, Alby said.

His family is submitting DNA samples, which investigators hope will confirm his identity.

The area where the remains were found were in the far northwest corner of the park, at Lone Mountian Road and Riley Street. People walking on the paved paths were oblivious to the police activity.

"That's creepy. I wonder what happened to him," said Las Vegan Donna Kelley, who was walking on a path with her friend Laura Hernandez. They said it wouldn't keep them from coming back to the park.

"I think it's definitely gruesome, but it doesn't bother me to the point where I'd never want to set foot in here again," Hernandez said.