The Vermont State Police is investigating the discovery of human remains in the Green Mountain National Forest. The identity of the deceased person and the circumstances surrounding the death are unknown at this time.

The investigation began at about 4 p.m. April 25, when hikers traveling through the forest in the town of Mt. Tabor located a pair of aged and partly buried hiking boots in a boggy area. What appeared to be human foot bones were found inside the boots. The hikers contacted the Vermont State Police, who responded and conducted a search of the area without locating anything further. The remains were secured and transported to the Chief Medical Examiner’s Office in Burlington for analysis, which confirmed the remains were human.

On Monday, May 4, a coordinated search of the area was conducted involving members from VSP’s Bureau of Criminal Investigations, Search and Rescue Team and Crime Scene Search Team, along with North Country Search Dogs and U.S. Forest Service law enforcement personnel. Searchers located additional human remains and a nearby site with outdoor gear and personal items, all of which were partly or mostly covered in several layers of leaf fall, forest growth and soil.

Analysis of the remains and associated items is continuing. The state police asks that anyone with information that could assist investigators call the Rutland Barracks at 802-773-9101 or submit an anonymous tip online at https://vsp.vermont.gov/tipsubmit.