Witness says there were clues nearby after discovering human remains in north Phoenix desert

PHOENIX - Phoenix investigators have a mystery on their hands after a human skeleton was found in the north Phoenix desert near the Deer Valley Airport. 

How this person got there or why remains unknown. 

FOX 10’s Lauren Clark exclusively spoke to Mike Stein, the man who made the discovery. 

Were there clues to the person's identity? 

The man who found this skeleton said he found the ID of a 60-year-old Alabama man next to the skeleton. 

Phoenix Police have not been able to confirm that yet, as investigators on this case have been perusing leads all day. 

This is grabbing their attention, after another grisly discovery, just months before. 

"I was riding my electric bike off the desert Nov. 19 evening and I came upon this homeless camp," said Mike Stein. 

He says desert night rides often help clear his mind, but what he saw during this trip still haunts him. 

"I was sitting there talking to them, and the guy said, he knew where some suspicious bones are, and I was like ‘really? Take me to them,’" he said.

About 500 feet from the road off 7th Avenue and Deer Valley, tucked behind several boulders, Mike says he saw it.

"As soon as we got to the bone pile, I saw the lower jaw, and all the other bones, and I knew that they were human remains," he said. "Those homeless people knew, they had a good idea that it was a human body, but were probably too afraid to call the police." 

Read more: Human remains found near Phoenix Deer Valley Airport

Two things that seemed off

First, an Alabama ID next to the bones, which he says he gave to police. 

Second: "The skull was missing. The lower jaw was there, but the skull was missing," he said. 

That caught the attention of Phoenix Police who took over a death investigation regarding the skeleton. 

Back on October 24th, a human skull was found in the same area. 

Now detectives, along with medical examiners, are trying to figure out if they are a match. 

Phoenix Police say that will be determined at the Office of the Medical Examiner through DNA. 

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The OME will also declare the cause and manner of death. 

As for Mike, he hopes one family, somewhere soon, gets the answers they deserve. 

"Hopefully the family gets some closure, and they figure out what happened," said Stein. 

I did take a look at a picture of the ID that Mike says he found, and it had an issue date of March 10, 2022. 

Because DNA will be used to determine more, officers tell me it might be a while before we learn who this person is or what happened to them.