COEYMANS, N.Y. -- A contractor working on a 300-year-old historic Coeymans home last week made a startling discovery when a human skull fell out of a basement wall and landed at his feet. The skull was turned over to Coeymans police who have since taken it to the New York State Museum to be examined by staff anthropologists.
Coeymans Police Chief Gregory Darlington said, "The museum has reported that the skull was possibly scalped. It has not been confirmed, but initial reports show that the skull was scalped."
Bio-Archeologist Vanessa Dale said, "It's interesting that there are cut marks, but we don't really know the origin. So I don't like to jump to conclusions or really get excited about something. I like to do the research. I can't say there's a cause of death here, but there is an injury to this person."
Coeymans police have a centuries-old mystery on their hands. We're learning more about the human skull that was found inside a basement wall of a 300-year-old home in Coeymans. And as Ryan Peterson reports, it's not the first time this skull has been brought to the attention of the police.
Interestingly enough, the history of this skull could have begun to unfold more than 30 years ago. It was initially found on the property in 1971. Coeymans police investigators reached out to the former owner of the property, who now resides in Texas, and he said when he first found the skull he contacted the police department. But the then-chief, who has since passed away, instructed him to re-bury it.
Chief Darlington said standards nowadays are a little different.
Ryan Peterson asked, "Definitely not something you would have recommended?"
"Absolutely not," said Chief Darlington. "We don't have the authority. That would be up to the Albany County Coroner's Office."
The house and maybe even the skull date back to the late 1600s, and the house is believed to have been built by the town's founder, Ariantje Coeymans. Unfortunately, not much else is known about the property. Mary Faranelli of the Coeymans Historical Society said little is known about the area at that time. The property is believed, however, to sit on an old Indian burial ground. In fact, the mystery surrounding the skull itself might never be solved.
Dale said, "An archeologist really needs to have context. Being at the site is very important. Any artifacts associated with it help age or place the person within a specific cultural group or time. We have none of that."
Chief Darlington hopes that the skull, which is believed to be that of a white female who was between 30 and 50 years old, will be turned over to town historians once the investigation is complete.