Source WBIR
Cocke County Sheriff Armando Fontes says it's too early to tell if the human remains found on Ponderosa Road between Del Rio and Parrotsville are those of 19 year old Megan Maxwell.
"I don't want to give a family false hope, then it turnout to not be Megan Maxwell. I want them to have closure, they deserve closure," Fontes said.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation as well as deputies from the Greene and Cocke County Sheriff's Departments combed through the side of that rural road Thursday afternoon. The spot is somewhere around one mile away from a stretch of highway where police found Maxwell's car badly burned in April 2009.
Fontes said a man walking his dog saw the remains and called dispatchers.
"Based on what we've found, I'm surprised someone did not notice where this body was located," Fontes said.
Along with a skull and other bones, the Sheriff said they also found clothing and other items but would not comment further what gender the clothing would be associated with.
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A TBI spokesperson says a skull has been found in a rural, wooded area of Cocke County. Officials on the scene say the skull was located less than a mile from where it is believed Megan Maxwell disappeared.
TBI says the skull was found off Ponderosa Road near Parrottsville. UT forensic experts will try to identify the remains. Its been taken to the University of Tennessee Anthropology Department to see if they can identify it. Searchers are looking for more remains Thursday.
Officials have not confirmed the skull belongs to Megan Maxwell. Officials say she is the only person reported missing in Cocke County.
Megan Maxwell, 19, was last seen on, April 26, 2009, after checking in on her father early that morning. Her burning car was found on the side of the road. The skull was about a mile away from that location.
Since then, searchers have combed the surrounding area for any sign of the missing woman.
No arrests have ever been made in connection with Maxwell's disappearance, though Jeffrey Lee Stock has been called the top suspect.
Authorities have not charged Stock with any crimes in the Maxwell case. However, the investigation led to the discovery that Stock was convicted of a sexual offense in Indiana and failed to register as a sex offender when he moved to Tennessee.
Stock pleaded guilty to violating the Sex Offender Registration Act. He is currently serving a six year prison sentence.
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