Possible human bones found on Miss. River island in Dyer County
Sunday, July 1, 2012

The Dyer County Sheriff's Department is investigating a case in which alleged human bones were found on Island No. 10 at the Mississippi River.
Dyer County Sheriff Jeff Box stated a person riding a four-wheeler on the island found a bone on Thursday afternoon and not knowing exactly what it was he contacted authorities. Box and his investigators went to the location and took possession of the bone and scoured the area to see if any more remains were around. Another bone was found close by and it too was collected.

Chief Investigator Terry McCreight stated the first bone that was found is believed to be a human femur, which is commonly referred to as the thighbone.

Box said the bones would be taken to the Shelby County Medical Examiner's Office in Memphis for examination.

"We sent them off to the examiner's office for them to determine if they are in fact human remains," said Box. "They will also perform DNA analysis for identification purposes."

The island where the bones were found can be seen just south of the Mississippi River Bridge that connects Dyersburg, Tenn. and Caruthersville, Mo. Low river levels have caused much of the island to become visible and is a popular spot for all-terrain vehicles.

There are several reported missing people from Missouri and authorities there have been notified of the find. Among those missing includes Jacque Waller from Ste. Genevieve County, Mo. She has been missing for over a year and although her body has never been found, prosecutors filed a murder charge against her estranged husband, Clay Waller.

"There currently are several recent missing persons in that state that still haven't been accounted for and we immediately notified the respective authorities of our find," said Box.

Another missing person form Missouri is Donald J. Davis, 64, of Kennett, Mo., who reportedly jumped from the Mississippi River Bridge on Nov. 3, 2011, close to where the bones were found. According to the Daily Dunklin Democrat, Davis was arrested on Sept. 30, 2010, on charges of statutory sodomy in the first degree and possession of child pornography. He was scheduled to appear at 1 p.m., on Nov. 22, at New Madrid, Mo.

A Dyer County hunter missing since 2010 has been temporarily ruled out as a match due to distance and location. Ronnie Cobb, 49, formerly of Kennett, Mo., was last seen in April 2010, on the Forked Deer River in Dyer County, as he was turkey hunting from his boat. After Cobb was late returning home, family members called authorities to report him missing. Dyer County rescue squad members found Cobb's boat close to Forshee Street in the Dyersburg city limits, thus initiating an extensive search by numerous agencies. The Forked Deer flows into the Mississippi River miles downriver of where the bones were found.

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