Created: 11/19/2009 10:12:07 AM 
Greensboro, NC -- Investigators were able to narrow down a missing persons list to determine the identity of skeletal remains found in northern Guilford County this week.
On Tuesday, surveyors found the remains near Hicone Road Investigators determined the remains were those of Henry Wilson, who disappeared in Dec. 2004 at the age of 84.
An anthropology team from UNC-Greensboro helped make that identification.
"Every bone tells a story. Every skeleton has a story to tell, and the key is looking at that skeleton and hearing what the skeleton says," Dr. Carlina de la Cova told her class Thursday morning.
She led the team that assisted investigators. The team included de la Cova's husband, who is her research assistant. An archeology professor and a senior-level student also assisted.
Members of the team helped determine approximate age, gender and race. That helped investigators shorten their list of missing person cases.
"They've managed to narrow down who the individual might have been based on the information that I was able to provide for them," she said.
Looking at a skull helps determine age. She examines joints called "sutures."
"We know that these fuse at certain times," de la Cova said.
The pelvis also shows signs of age.
"In younger individuals, you tend to see more ridging, whereas in older individuals, you get more erosion."
The shape of the eyes and nose point to ancestry.
"In the African here," she said pointing to a plastic skull, "You can see it's wider, you can see the nasal bones are shorter."
The remains found this week showed signs of arthritis, which was visible by a rigidness on the spine.
It was key evidence, even though a medicaid card was found in a coat pocket identifying the person as Henry Wilson.
"The concern is whether or not someone has stolen someone's ID," she said.
In this case, she was able to match up the characteristics with Wilson's identity. De la Cova said she was able to determine the key characteristics within three hours.
"Everybody, regardless of who they are, and whatever context they come to us in, everybody had somebody that loved them. And, its' giving those individuals that peace and that's what really drives me to do this and that's why I enjoy it," she said.
The identification is still preliminary. A positive identification will be made by DNA. That testing will happen in Texas and could take a few months.
The remains were scheduled to be sent to the medical examiner's office in Chapel Hill Thursday for further testing, according to a sheriff's office spokesman.
To learn more about UNC-Greensboro's anthropology department, click here.
WFMY News 2
