Police hope DNA analysis will help identify remains

GILFORD — The skeletal human remains which were discovered near the runway at the Laconia Municipal Airport will be analyzed by forensic experts in hopes of identifying the person.

Deputy Gilford Police Chief Kristian Kelley said Tuesday that the remains are now at the State Crime Lab, where they will be examined in the hope of recovering any DNA which could then be used to identify the victim.

The remains were discovered last Wednesday by two people who were walking through a thickly wooded area near the airport in order to reach the location of a single-engine plane that had crashed while landing two days before.

Kelley said the department was following up on any missing reports in recent years to see if there might be “any correlation” to last week’s discovery.

The state Major Crime Unit had initially been working with Gilford police on the investigation, but the case is now entirely in the Gilford department’s hands, Kelley said.

The state Attorney General’s Office said last week there were no signs of foul play.

Kelley said it could take one to two months for the State Crime Lab to complete its analysis.