Police testing DNA to try to identify 3 sets of human remains found in Southeast DC

WASHINGTON - D.C. police said investigators have identified the race and approximate ages of two of the three sets of human remains found last month in Southeast D.C.

Police are still patrolling this crime scene a month after one set of remains was found in a crawl space at an apartment building on Wayne Place while two other sets of remains were found nearby in a shallow grave in the woods.

D.C. police said investigators have now determined that two of the victims are African American women between the ages of 30 and 60 and that their remains had been there for at least a year and possibly longer.

D.C. Police Capt. Anthony Haythe with the Homicide Division said femurs from all three sets of remains have been sent to the FBI along with DNA from a select number of people. There has been no positive identification of the victims yet.

Haythe said the DNA was taken from people who investigators think may be related to the women based on missing person's reports in the time span detectives believe the women may have been killed.

Police have previously said the victims who were found in the shallow grave were shot to death and the victim found in the crawl space may have died from blunt force trauma. Some personal items were found.

It is unclear how long it will take the FBI to determine if matches can be made with the DNA. However, Capt. Haythe believes it will take months.

The victims' remains were discovered by a work crew who were building new apartments in the basement of the building.