WOODS BAY — On the afternoon of Feb. 12, skeletal remains dating back to before World War II were probably the last thing that crews putting in new water lines near Woods Bay expected to come across.

The call came in to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office at 3:56 p.m. last Thursday from water district personnel who believed they had come across human remains while working on a project in the area. Undersheriff Jay Doyle and Lt. Mike Sargeant responded to the scene along with Tribal authorities to transport the remains to pathologist Dr. Willy Kemp, who determined the remains were indeed human.

On Friday afternoon, the remains were examined by Missoula archaeologists at the University of Montana who determined that the remains were most likely: From a boy of Native American origin, 13-14 years in age, and of historic magnitude dating back to before the second World War.

The historic determination clarified that the remains were not crime related or connected to any area missing persons cases.

According to Lt. Sargeant, the sheriff’s office and the coroner are now off the case as the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes have assumed the leading role and are making sure that the appropriate ceremonies and procedures are carried out.

Sargeant called the “unusual” case a well-coordinated effort with the Tribe from start to finish.

“We have a very good relationship with the Tribe, as with the archaeology department at UM,” Sargeant said. “We’ve used them before, and it’s always a pleasure working with them as they are the experts.”