Human Remains Reveal Skeletons in School Closet

Forensics officers from Chiayi District Prosecutor’s Office were sent to an elementary school in the town of Putai to recover and examine skeletal remains suspected to belong to a school worker who went missing 10 years ago.

The human bones, skull, clothing, a quilt, and an old cellphone, were found in the corner of a concrete drainage gutter on the roof of Yongan Elementary School yesterday afternoon, when workers were sent to clear drains after the roof became flooded during heavy rain.

The remains appear to have been wrapped in a quilt.

The worker, Mr Hou (侯榮宏), went missing 10 years ago, and was suspected to have been murdered. Police today said it was impossible to determine the cause of death at the scene. They said the remains would be subject to DNA testing to confirm the identity of the deceased, and that the process would take about 2 weeks.

In the meantime, police will investigate Hou’s associations, and financial and personal affairs prior to his death.

Mr Hou’s elder brother, a retired elementary school teacher said that Mr Hou was former army officer who was placed at the school after his retirement. When he first went missing, his brother had gone to his dormitory to search for him. In his room, he had found documents relating to a school engineering project fraud that Mr Hou was going to send to county government investigators. The next time Mr Hou’s brother went to his room, the documents were gone. He suspects his brother may have been murdered in relation to the case and he hopes police can investigate and solve the case so his brother’s soul can rest in peace.

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