State police launch major investigation after human remains are found in wooded area of Sodus

Sodus, New York – A quiet area of Champlin Road in the town of Sodus has become the center of a police investigation after human skeletal remains were discovered earlier this week.

According to the New York State Police, the unsettling discovery was reported on October 15, 2025, when a property owner came across what appeared to be bones in a wooded section of his land and immediately called 911.

Troopers from the State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation quickly arrived at the scene, joined by specialists from the Forensic Identification Unit. Over the following days, investigators expanded their search area, combing through the woods with the help of State Police K-9 teams and the County Coroner. During those efforts, authorities recovered additional bones believed to be connected to the same case.

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A forensic anthropologist later performed an initial review of the remains and confirmed that they are indeed human. “The remains were turned over to the Medical Examiner’s Office for further analysis and identification,” police said in a statement.

Investigators have not released any details about the possible identity of the individual or how long the remains may have been in the area. The wooded property, located off a rural stretch of Champlin Road, has been described by residents as typically peaceful and seldom visited, making the discovery all the more unsettling for the small Wayne County community.

Neighbors say the news has left them uneasy. “It’s just shocking to think something like this could happen here,” said one nearby resident, who asked not to be identified. “We walk those woods all the time—you’d never expect something like that.”

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Authorities continue to process the scene and collect evidence, with the hope that the Medical Examiner’s analysis will soon provide clues about the person’s identity and the circumstances leading to their death.

State Police are urging anyone with information related to the discovery to come forward as the investigation remains active.

While questions still outnumber answers, officials say they are committed to finding out who the person was—and how their remains ended up in a quiet patch of Sodus woods.