Volunteers Search for Human Remains

What police first thought was another clue in the murder of a young Henderson woman has only led to a new mystery

 Before many valley residents were even out of bed this morning, a volunteer search team was combing the windy desert floor in the far southeast end of the valley.

The trained volunteers with the Nevada Center for Missing Loved Ones have been searching five square miles of remote desert for several weeks now, at the request of Henderson investigators. Police say they already discovered human remains, including a skeleton, in their own initial search.

"I know they believe there's something out there," said Frank Mahoney with NCMLO.

Investigators say they first suspected the remains were of a 21-year-old Henderson woman who disappeared three years ago after she became involved in the risky escort business. But Henderson police now confirm a DNA comparison reveals the skull and other bones discovered are not the remains Lindsey Harris.

Harris' dismembered legs were found in a central Illinois field three years ago, but only identified recently. Police say that means the human remains found in the Henderson desert are still unidentified. The volunteers say it is their hope to soon bring closure to another victim's family.

"I know if it were somebody in my family, I'd want somebody to find them," said volunteer Tom McNamara.

McNamara's a retired cop -- nicknamed the Bone Whisperer by his fellow volunteers - and has found bones as tiny as a needle. He admits it can be difficult to distinguish human remains from animal remains. He says additional training and a human bone kit recently donated by UNLV's Anthropology Department will now save volunteers valuable time and energy.

"We can basically reference if it's human or if its animal," he said.

When searchers find what they believe are human remains, they're trained not to pick them up or touch anything around them. They call police immediately and are careful to preserve the site until CSI investigators arrive to process the scene.