For now, all experts know is that it belonged to an adult who was likely a member of the Miami or Shawnee tribe — which is all the more remarkable given that the man who found the skull is an avid collector of Native American artifacts.
Fayette County Sheriff’s DepartmentThe skull was found by a man walking on his property along the Whitewater River.
A portion of a human skull found on the bank of the Whitewater River in Indiana has been determined to be more than 4,000 years old.
The skull was initially discovered in early June 2025 by a local man walking around his property. Now, radiocarbon dating has revealed that it’s roughly 4,270 years old, dating back to about 2300 B.C.E.
There is still a lot to be uncovered about this historic find. For instance, it currently remains unclear whether the skull belonged to a man or a woman, or what Indigenous group this person was a part of. Nevertheless, it’s an astonishing discovery — and one that was made by chance.
The Chance Discovery Of A Skull That Turned Out To Be More Than 4,000 Years Old
Fayette County Sheriff’s DepartmentThe skull was found on this Fayette County riverbank, about 70 miles southeast of Indianapolis.
On June 2, 2025, a man walking on his property along the Whitewater River in Fayette County, Indiana saw something peculiar on the bank. What he found quickly proved to be a portion of a human skull.
The skull remains, coming from the crown section, are approximately the size of an adult human’s hand. Scientists believe the skull was fragmented not from trauma, but from natural degradation over the years.
The man immediately contacted the county sheriff’s department about the find, according to a Facebook post from the Fayette County Coroner’s Office.
“This discovery underscores the importance of our community’s vigilance and the necessity of professional collaboration,” Coroner Eddie Richardson said in the social media post. “I want to commend the landowner for their responsible action in immediately reporting the finding.”
The man who found the skull was a local landowner — and a collector of Native American artifacts. After he reported the remains to the sheriff’s office, the skull underwent thorough examination in order to determine how old it was.
While officials have been able to determine that the skull is about 4,270 years old, there is still much they don’t know. The skull is likely from an adult, but it is unknown if this person was a man or woman.
Repatriating The Remains To The Appropriate Indigenous Group
Fayette County Sheriff’s DepartmentThe skull was found along the banks of the Whitewater River in Fayette County, Indiana.
The coroner’s office is working alongside archaeologists from the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma to try to determine which Indigenous population this person may have belonged to.
“The remains could belong to an individual associated with any number of tribes, including the Shawnee, Potawatomi, Delaware or Cherokee, among others,” Richardson told The New York Times.
The coroner’s office, announcing the discovery on Indigenous Peoples’ Day, said it is a “humbling reminder” of the people who lived on this land before Europeans arrived.
It’s believed that people first began to live in this region during the Late Archaic period, about 10,000 years ago. According to the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, these early people of present-day Indiana would’ve been hunter-gatherers. They made tools, including projectile points, scrapers, and long blades, out of chert rock and other raw materials.
By 2300 B.C.E., both locals’ knowledge of the land and the breadth of tools they could make increased. They developed many varieties of woodworking tools and tools for food processing, including mortars, grinding slabs, and bone and antler tools.
Now, the coroner’s office is also teaming up with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources in order to determine the best next steps for the remains. Their goal is to follow the proper legal procedure for repatriation and site management.
“My hope is that it inspires local people to learn more about the history of the land they live on,” said Krista Latham, a forensic anthropologist who helped examine the skull. “In this case, the individual lived so long ago that we cannot provide a name. But we can make sure they rest with their loved ones.”
After reading about the 4,270-year-old skull found in Indiana, discover the 9 most historic Native American warriors to ever live. Then, learn about the remains of a prehistoric Native American woman who was 24 weeks pregnant when she was killed by arrows.
