Archaeological enthusiasts and cold case investigators received a bit of a tidbit of interest as a mudslide, which blocked both lanes of Highway 82 for several days, also unearthed a well preserved mummified corpse.
Investigators estimate that the corpse has been preserved from many of the dry summers we have had over the past 100 years or more and that the slow erosion of the roadside over the past 20 years lead to the mudslide.
The Walawa County Medical Examiner's Office has yet to date the age of the mummy but its proximity to the Nez Perce reserve suggests some time within the last 100 to 300 years. Members of the Nez Perce Tribal Council have been working with the County offices to determine if it is a tribal member and if so was this area around Highway 82 a tribal burial site.
Simon Half Elk, a representative of the Nez Perce Tribal Council has consulted historical documents and tribal records and has discovered that there are no known Nez Perce burial sites in the area, but is excited that this could be a new discovery.
County officials are waiting on the official M.E.’s report before making a comment.
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