A decades-old human skull that likely belonged to a Japanese woman was found inside a military footlocker, linked to a Vietnam War-era serviceman, in a U-Haul truck near Lake Villa.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office responded around 6:05 p.m. on September 21 to an automotive shop in the 37600 block of Route 59 in unincorporated Lake Villa for a report of a possible human skull.
Lamont Automotive is located at 37611 Route 59, according to online records.
Deputies arrived and spoke with a man who said he was cleaning out the business his late father had owned since the early 2000s, Lake County Sheriff’s Office Chief Christopher Covelli said.
The man said an old U-Haul truck had been sitting on the property since before his father owned the business, Covelli said.
Inside the U-Haul was what appeared to be a military footlocker containing a suspicious item.
Deputies found what appeared to be a human skull with the word “Okinawa” written on the forehead inside the footlocker along with other military memorabilia, Covelli said.
Deputies collected the skull and contacted the Lake County Coroner’s Office, which reviewed photographs and determined the skull appeared to be human.
The skull was then turned over to the coroner’s office for further examination.
Covelli said a preliminary examination by the coroner’s office indicated the skull appears to be decades old.
Sheriff’s detectives determined the footlocker likely belonged to a deceased man who would be 79 years old if he were still alive.
Covelli said interviews indicate the man was stationed in Okinawa and Korea during the Vietnam War.
The coroner’s office later took the skull to a forensic anthropologist at Northwestern University, who completed an examination, Lake County Chief Deputy Coroner Steve Newton said.
Newton said preliminary results indicate the skull is decades old and there is over a 90% probability it is that of a Japanese female.
The coroner’s office is awaiting the anthropologist’s final report and will then work with the Japanese consulate to ensure proper repatriation, Newton said.
The identity of the man believed to have owned the footlocker has not been publicly released.
Sheriff’s detectives continue to investigate in coordination with the coroner’s office.