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A skull found near Lake Wawasee and believed to be that of a serial killer's victim has now been identified as Native American.
"They now concluded the skull was Native American. I'm waiting for the written report. ... Until I read the report, I'm hesitant to say anything (else)," said Kosciusko County Coroner Larry Ladd today.
The findings were confirmed based on a recent phone interview Ladd had with Dr. Steven Nawrocki, a forensic anthropologist with the University of Indianapolis.
The skull was found near Lake Wawasee, Syracuse, in May, by Debra A. Thomas, East Hatchery Road, Syracuse. She was rock hunting near the south side of the lake. After digging up the skull, Thomas put it on the shore and called authorities.
Preliminary investigations noted that the skull might have been that of a primitive human or an Indian.
However, Nawrocki's preliminary findings estimated that the skull belonged to a white male 35 to 50 years old and that it may have been in the water for only five to six years.
The Kosciusko County Sheriff's Department explored the possibility that the skull was a victim of serial killer Herb Baumeister, who reportedly murdered several homosexual males between 1993 to 1996 in Indianapolis. Baumeister reportedly committed suicide when investigators were closing in on him.
The case was linked to Kosciusko County because authorities said Baumeister's mother had a cottage on Lake Wawasee, about one-eighth of a mile from where the skull was found.
Nawrocki completed the exam recently and his findings are expected to be delivered to Ladd today.
