Disturbing Discovery As 7 Human Skullcaps Found in River

While walking along the San Antonio River on Sunday afternoon, a man in Argentina made a disturbing discovery when he saw a collection of seven frontal segments from human skulls submerged under the murky water.

According to the Córdoba police, the bones were found 3 feet beneath the surface, about 16 feet away from the shore near the town of San Antonio de Arredondo in the Punilla valley.

The scene was attended by the Judicial Police and the Fire Department's Directorate of Rescue Units, along with forensic specialists.

The remains have been sent to a specialized laboratory for further forensic investigations to determine the origin and nature of the remains.

"They were the only skeletal remains that were found. The time they had been there is unknown and they are being investigated," Sergio Chavez, deputy commissioner, told local media outlet ElDoce.tv.

According to local media, some reports have said that the skulls did not have any visible injuries on their surface and may have belonged to a collector or medical student. However, this has not been confirmed by officials so far.

Bones in freshwater can last for years, dependent on the acidity, temperature and oxygen levels in the water. So far, it is unclear how long the bones had been in the river.

The San Antonio River in Argentina is a tributary of the Iguazu River, an 820-mile-long stretch of water that forms a small portion of the Brazilian-Argentine border. The town of San Antonio de Arredondo is located on the river's banks, 27 miles from the city of Córdoba.

While the discovery of human remains is often unnerving, it is not unheard of. In September 2018, a fisherman in Washington state found a small fragment of a human skull while fly fishing in the Spokane River. Five years later, it was confirmed that the skull fragment had belonged to a homicide victim who had been reported missing in December 2015.

In July 2023, an Italian paleontologist discovered an ancient human skull fragment while hiking in the River Po, near Cremona in northern Italy. The fragments are believed to date back to the Paleolithic era, tens of thousands of years ago. However, exact dating has not yet been confirmed.

The investigation is now in the hands of the Investigation Prosecutor No. 3 of Villa Carlos Paz.

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