Skeletal human remains found in sandbank along the Nooksack River

BELLINGHAM — Skeletal human remains were found alongside the Nooksack River Monday, Nov. 22, in Ferndale.

The remains have not been identified, nor is the gender known at this time, according to Deborah Hollis, operations director with the Whatcom Medical Examiner, in a telephone interview with The Bellingham Herald.

It is very likely the remains are over a decade old, said Ferndale communication officer Riley Sweeney, in a telephone interview with The Herald.

The remains were in a sandbank on the Nooksack River and were found by city public works staff who were inspecting a levee that protects Ferndale from the Nooksack.

The body was found around 10:40 a.m. Monday, Nov. 22, just south of Pioneer Bridge on the north bank.

Investigations into the identity, age and cause of death are still ongoing, with the body currently in the custody of the Whatcom Medical Examiner with help from the state anthropologist, Hollis said.

She said these are the third set of human skeletal remains to be found in Whatcom County this year. The other two were later turned over to the state archaeologist.