Skull found in backpack near Oregon highway

A human skull was found near Interstate 5 in northern Oregon, authorities said Wednesday.

The discovery Monday morning was reported by members of an Oregon Department of Corrections cleanup crew, the Oregon State Police said in a statement.

The find, near Keizer, a suburb north of Salem, was initially reported as a suspicious object. State police, who seized the item for investigation, described it as a skull inside a “small” backpack.

The remains, believed to be that of a woman between the ages of 30 and 40, were decomposed and had “no identifiable features,” state police said.

The Oregon State Medical Examiner’s Office will attempt to determine the identity of the remains, they said.

The office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In late 2020, approximately 60 miles to the west, the Corps of Haley Mae Coblentz, 9 years old. it was found in a duffel bag near a rest stop along the state’s HB Van Duzer scenic corridor, which leads to the coast.

Two people were charged in connection with the girl’s death, but the case was retired.