This hunter didn't find the surprise he was hoping for.
A mushroom hunter was scouring a wooded area in Kankakee County, Illinois, when he came across human bones. According to County Coroner Bob Gessner, the discovery happened around 5 p.m. May 3 near the 1500 block of River Road, east of the Splash Valley Aquatic Center.
Gessner told The Daily Journal that a University of Illinois anthropologist was able to to identify a lower jawbone with teeth, as well as vertabrae and humerus bone.
He also said there was a tombstone nearby, which likely has a correlation with the old Kankakee State Hospital, where there were onsite burials from 1879 until 1974. The hospital is now the Governor Samuel Shapiro Developmental Center.
While officials are looking into the possibility that water brought up buried bones, there's still no official word.
"There is a lot more investigating," Gessner said.
Why have there been so many of these stories surfacing in the last couple years? Is it just because morel mushroom hunting has gained so much popularity in the last few years?
Similar to the diving videos that have revealed submerged firearms and other suspicious items, this morel hunting story really puts things into perspective.
Even though this particular story seems to be the result of poor 19th-century burying techniques, there have been plenty that don't include a tombstone. So, how many more bodies do you think will turn up as more and more people engage in these scavenging-type pastimes?
NEXT: MOREL MUSHROOM HUNTING IS HEATING UP IN A FEW POCKETS OF THE COUNTRY
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