Investigators discover 10 to 20 human skulls on property
11/14/2024 3:03 pm PST
JAL, N.M. (TCN) -- An investigation is underway after authorities recently found at least 10 human skulls on a property.
According to the Lea County Sheriff’s Office, on Nov. 5, an individual who offered Cecil Villanueva a ride reported an "unsettling encounter." Villanueva allegedly carried two bags, "made alarming statements," and threw away suspected human bones from the vehicle.
On Nov. 6, investigators executed a search warrant at a property where Villanueva had been staying and found bone fragments, including pieces of skull and jawbone. Three days later, a forensic anthropologist and investigators conducted a further search and found evidence of between 10 and 20 human skulls on the property. The remains have been submitted to the medical investigator’s office in Albuquerque.
Lea County Sheriff Corey Hilton told KOB-TV, "We’re not talking about 10 or 20 intact, fully together skulls. These are pieces, pieces of who the forensic anthropologist is estimating between 10 and 20 people."
The sheriff’s office initially believed the case was connected to the 2019 disappearance of Angela McManes, but in an update, they confirmed there was no link.
Villanueva is in custody at the Lea County Detention Center for an unrelated misdemeanor criminal trespass charge.
The sheriff told KOB, "I know our viewers are concerned, but I can tell you, we don’t have a serial killer walking around."
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