Medical Examiner: Could Take Years To Identify Skeletons Found In Foss Lake

The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner says it could take years to positively identify the remains of six people found Tuesday in Foss Lake in Custer County.

The Oklahoma Highway Patrol discovered two cars during a sonar training exercise. Inside the cars were the skeletons of six people. Investigators believe the vehicles were underwater for 40 to 50 years.

9/17/2013 Related Story: Investigators Work To ID Foss Lake Skeletons

Custer County Sheriff Bruce Peoples says one car could belong to a missing Sayre teenager. Jimmy Williams, 16, took his two friends, 18-year-olds Michael Rios and Leah Johnson, for a ride in his blue Camaro in 1970. The three haven't been seen since.

The second car, a 1950s model Chevy, is believed to have belonged to three people from Washita County who went missing in the early 1960s.

Amy Elliott with the Chief Medical Examiner's Office said Wednesday the skeletons are being closely analyzed by an in-house anthropologist. The office will attempt to use anthropological and, if necessary, forensic pathological methods. She said positive identification could take anywhere from days to years.