Investigators working to identify human remains found in vacant home in Reading, Pennsylvania

Two forensic anthropologists from the University of South Florida in Tampa are expected to arrive in Pennsylvania this week as investigators work to identify bones that were found in a vacant home in Reading.

The remains were found on Friday, Oct. 2, in the home on the 500 block of South Sixth Street.

The Berks County Coroner's Office released a statement outlining how the investigation will proceed and noted that it may take some time before the public receives any answers.

"When unidentified remains are discovered, determining the person's identity, cause of death, and manner of death can be a complex process that requires multiple forensic disciplines working together," Coroner Matthew J. Stitzel said.

The Florida forensic anthropologists will analyze the remains to estimate the age, sex, height and ancestry of the person who died and determine if the bones reveal any injuries the person may have received.

Forensic entomology technicians also responded to the scene and collected insect specimens, which were submitted to a lab at Kean University in New Jersey for further examination. Stitzel said insect samples can also provide valuable information to a death investigation.

"Our goal is to give this person a name and to determine what happened to them. Every person deserves to be identified, and our office will continue to use every available forensic resource to provide answers to this investigation and, ultimately, to the person's family," Stitzel said.