Human Remains Found Buried In Nassau County
LATTINGTOWN, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) - Nassau County homicide detectives are investigating after human remains were found buried in a bag Monday afternoon in the village of Lattingtown on Long Island's north shore.
A woman walking her dog near Sheep Lane found the skeletal remains that police said are likely that of a female between the ages of 20 and 30.
The dog sniffed the sand and proceeded to dig up a bag containing human bones, women's slacks and undergarments.
Police said the remains had obvious signs of trauma, CBS 2's Jennifer McLogan reported.
"I walk here every day, almost every day I should say, and I never see anything unusual," resident Francesco DiLillo told McLogan. "I'm shocked, really."
The one clue police are hoping will help identify the victim is a 24 karat gold pig pendant necklace found with the remains.
"24 karats is big in the Asian and Indian community jewelry stores. In the United States, most people want 14 karat, this is 24 karat," Nassau County Police Homicide Squad Det. Lt. John Azzata said. "In the Chinese culture, the Year of the Pig emulates different years - 1995, 1983, 1971."
Many in the exclusive Gold Coast enclave of mansions and millions are on edge because of the discovery in the typically safe village, McLogan reported.
"I went jogging there actually a couple of days ago," a local resident told CBS 2's McLogan.
"I can't believe that, we had no idea. It was right in our back yard," another resident said.
"We could have walked right past it and wouldn't even know so it's creepy a little bit," Lattington resident Andrew Manning told CBS 2's McLogan.
Azzata talked about the possibility of a connection to the Gilgo Beach serial killer case.
Human Remains Found Buried In Nassau County
"Bodies were found near the water, that's a similarity. But there are other dissimilarities, so it's much too early to say that we definitely have a connection," Azzata said.
Authorities said no one in the Lattingtown area who matches the victim's description has been reported missing in the past five years and police do not know how long the body has been there.
Human Remains Found Buried In Nassau County
The case is being treated as a homicide.
The Medical Examiner could determine the victim's sex, age, and cause of death as early as Thursday, McLogan reported.
Police said if no one who recognizes the gold necklace and pig pendant comes forward, they will continue with a DNA and dental records search. But they said that could take weeks.
Police are asking anyone with information to contact Nassau County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-244-TIPS or the Homicide Squad at 516-573-7789.
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