A routine walk in southeast Memphis led to a discovery that police are calling both heartbreaking and deeply disturbing. After a person reported finding what appeared to be a human skull near a wooded area in Hickory Hill, investigators began a wider search that has now uncovered remains believed to belong to three young children.
What police say was found
Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn Davis said the investigation began on March 8, when the initial report came in from someone walking a dog. Over the weeks that followed, homicide investigators and the Shelby County Medical Examiner's Office recovered additional bone fragments from the area.
Authorities believe the remains may belong to three children between the ages of three and seven. Davis said the remains appear to have been in the area for a few years, and that no other items beyond bone fragments had been found as of the latest briefing.
The investigation now underway
Police have designated the wooded area a crime scene and said the search remains active. Roughly 170 personnel are involved, including local, state, and federal partners such as the FBI. Davis emphasized that the size of the response reflects the need for a careful and thorough search, not any immediate public threat.
“Somebody knows where these children have come from. Someone knows of missing children that we have discovered in this area.”
— Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn Davis
Investigators have already reviewed recent missing-person cases in the area without finding an obvious match, leading authorities to consider the possibility that the children may not have been from Memphis. Identifying the victims and determining the circumstances surrounding their deaths are now the central goals of the case.
A plea for public help
Davis urged anyone with relevant information to come forward, stressing that someone may recognize the case details even if the children were reported missing outside the city. Officials say they are using all available resources to identify the remains and bring answers to what has become one of the city's most troubling recent investigations.