Authorities in Utah announced a $3,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the individual responsible for stealing a human skull from a 1,700-year-old protected burial site near Kanab.
The case came to light after a photograph showing a man holding the skull appeared on Facebook earlier this year, prompting a multi-agency investigation and public appeals for assistance in recovering the remains, according to The Salt Lake Tribune.
Newsweek reached out to the Trust Lands Administration (TLA) and Utah Office of the Attorney General by email Saturday for comment.
Why It Matters
The theft of the skull from the ancient burial ground is significant culturally and scientifically. Officials said the act constituted not only a violation of state and federal law, but also a profound disrespect toward the region’s ancestral Indigenous communities and Utah’s archaeological heritage.
The removal of human remains from burial sites impedes ongoing research and hinders the ability of descendant communities to honor and repatriate their ancestors, experts said.
What To Know
Investigators from the Utah Attorney General’s Office first became aware of the incident in January after spotting a Facebook post featuring a person kneeling next to a dug-up grave, holding an ancient human skull, local news station WKRC reported.
State archaeologists then visited the burial site and confirmed the skull had been removed from the protected location on trust lands managed by the Utah School and Institutional TLA.
The exact site is known to researchers and is difficult to access, suggesting that the thief likely had prior knowledge of its location.
The burial ground near Kanab is estimated to date back to AD 240. Researchers have been aware of the site since the 1990s and it has yielded artifacts and evidence of ancient Indigenous habitation, although the specific tribal affiliation of the stolen remains has not been determined, The Salt Lake Tribune reported. The closest tribe geographically is the Kaibab Band of Paiutes.
The TLA, in coordination with the attorney general’s office, is offering a $3,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of those responsible. Tipsters may remain anonymous. The state has not released images of the skull due to ethical concerns.
Theft and disturbance of human remains from burial sites is prohibited under state and federal law. Penalties have varied in similar crimes, but the incident has renewed calls for stricter enforcement.
Following the theft, archaeologists re-documented the site and its artifacts. Officials plan to increase cultural site stewardship and monitoring to deter future desecrations. The TLA said they hope to partner more closely with the Kaibab Paiute tribal leadership to ensure proper repatriation should the skull be recovered, local news station KPCW reported.
What People Are Saying
Michelle McConkie, executive director of the Utah Trust Lands Administration, stated in an official news release, according to the Salt Lake Tribune: “The theft of human remains from a burial site is a crime and a violation of human dignity. This act not only breaks the law—it is disrespectful to those who lived here long before us and the scientific integrity of Utah’s archaeological record.”
Joel Boomgarden, lead archaeologist for the TLA, told Outside: “We get vandalism and artifacts going missing from time to time, but never this. It’s shocking, in this day and age, that someone thought this was OK…You wouldn’t walk into your local cemetery and start digging up some people, would you? It’s no different.”
Roland Maldonado, chairman of the Kaibab Band of Paiutes, told The Salt Lake Tribune: “It’s all illegal. There are federal laws against pothunting. It’s also very illegal to take human remains.…If state agencies and federal agencies would actually adhere to the law and prosecute in a proper manner, that would put a big curtailment on this type of activity.”
What Happens Next?
Law enforcement officials continue to seek leads in their investigation and urge anyone with information to contact the Utah Attorney General’s Office by phone at 801-538-5113 or by email at aginvestcomplaints@agutah.gov.
Archaeologists are working with state and regional partners to enhance protections at other sensitive sites, while efforts to repatriate the stolen remains will proceed if the skull is recovered.
Tribal leadership has called for direct consultation and effective prosecution to discourage future incidents.
