Daden Reed, Blake Waller and Will Walton were surprised to find a human skeleton during a short trek through the woods in Spring Hill Sunday.

Skeletal human remains were discovered by three college friends while walking next to a pond located in the woods in the Spring Hill area near one of their homes Sunday. The remains are suspected to be those of someone who lived in the area when they reportedly went missing in 2012.

Investigators work the scene in the thick brush along the pond where the remains were located.

Will Walton, Blake Waller and Daden Reed said they were out walking in the woods when they went to check a deer feeder next to a pond on the property. The three decided to walk the levee since they hadn’t done so in the five years Walton had lived at the house. As they made their way through the thick brush, they saw something on the levee on the north side of the pond that caught their attention. They said they weren’t sure initially what it was and realized it was a human skull when they went to check it out. They also discovered other bones, a pair of shoes and a rifle with the skull in the brush along the top of the levee. Walton, Waller and Reed returned to the house and contacted law enforcement to notify them of what they found.

Hempstead County Deputies, Arkansas State Police and Hope Police responded to the location where Walton, Waller and Reed reported finding the remains.

Hempstead County Sheriff’s Deputies responded to the area and secured the scene until a Sheriff’s Investigator arrived. Investigators from the Arkansas State Police also responded to the scene to assist the Sheriff’s Department with processing the scene.

After Investigators finished processing the scene, Hempstead County Coroner gathered the remains. Sheriff James Singleton said that the remains are being sent to the State Crime Lab where they will attempt to identify the person and determine the cause of death. He said they are confident in the identity of the person but are going to be contacting family and waiting for initial findings by the Crime Lab before releasing further details.

We are holding the name and some information currently to allow time for notification of next-of-kin. We will update as the investigation progresses.