Coconino County Sheriff’s Office detectives are working to identify human remains found in a wooded area near Flagstaff, according to a statement released Friday. 

According to Coconino County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Jon Paxton, a hunter found the bones north of a Baderville neighborhood along U.S. Highway 180 on Oct. 3. 

During the recovery of the remains, detectives established that “suspicious circumstances” were involved and Paxton said the death is being investigated as a homicide.

A preliminary autopsy shows that the person was a 35 to 55-year-old man who was 5-foot-10-inch or 6-foot-1-inch with a non-muscular build, according to officials. 

The man was wearing a T-shirt, dark shorts with a black, leather belt and a black, nylon utility pouch attached and sandals, Paxton said. 

The sheriff’s office is also searching national missing person databases to assist in identifying the body.

Anyone with information that can assist in identifying the person or what led to his death can contact the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office at 928-774-4523 or Silent witness at 928-74-6111. 

Reach the reporter at [email protected] or on Twitter at @Audreyj101.

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