Work underway to identify skeletal remains discovered in 2002

RICHMOND, Va. (WWBT) - Lara Newell is working around the clock to find closure for families.

“Sometimes, I’m the only person that touches these case files, that is working on them, that knows about them, and I don’t think they should be forgotten,” she said.

This includes a case in Richmond dating back to Aug. 27, 2002, when a set of skeletal remains were found behind Riverside Brick & Supply off of Maury Street.

“It was found by a construction crew kind of in a little ravine where some bricks were,” she said. “Not sure if the bricks were inadvertently placed on top of him or if they both were put there at the same time.”

When this all took place, Newell said there were not a lot of clues about the identity of the remains, expect for a pair of tennis shoes found at the scene, which are