TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Workers demolishing an old residential building in Keelung discovered the skeletal remains of three people, prompting an investigation to determine their identities.
The bones were found on March 26 beneath the foundation of the Dongnuan New Village residential building. They were found in old rice bags that also contained two old notes that mentioned two surnames.
On Friday (May 24), it was reported that investigators positively identified one of the skeletons thanks to one of the notes and a DNA test, reported CNA.
From one of the notes found on the female skeleton, investigators were able to decipher the surname Lai (賴). After more than a month of investigating families around Keelung, the bones were traced to a family in the Wanli District of New Taipei.
It was determined the woman was born in 1928 and passed away in 1968. However, in 1975, her remains had to be removed from where they were buried.
The family arranged for their relative to be interred in a mausoleum, and requested the services of a bone collector to transport Lai’s bones to the mausoleum. However, Lai’s remains were never delivered, and their location remained a mystery for almost 50 years.
After arrangements are made, Lai will be given a proper resting place in the coming weeks, per reports.
Given the age and circumstances of the remains, investigators expect that the other two people found were not victims of any violent crime.
Investigators are working to uncover the identity of the other two people. A second note found in one of the sacks says “ancestor(s) of the Lin family,” per CNA.
Police in Keelung and New Taipei have called on the public to provide more information, or if they know of other families who have similar stories involving bone collectors charged with managing or moving the remains of deceased family members in the late 1960s or 1970s.
