"Hopefully there will be some artifacts that will help determine an age," she said. "We'll look for anything left or made by humans."
McCarthy said she'll be looking for artifacts as well as the soil and vegetation around the remains. Part of her job is also to determine whether the remains are Native American or European American. Depending on how old she determines the remains to be, an additional physical anthropologist expert from the BLM may be asked to respond to the scene Friday to also look at the remains, she said.
Police confirmed Wednesday afternoon that human remains were found in a remote area around Topaz Mountain. They would not describe the condition of the body or the remains, whether it was in a shallow grave or if anything else was found around the remains that might help to identify the person.
Powell's father, Chuck Cox, reportedly flew to Utah Thursday morning from his home in Washington state.
After the BLM completes its investigation, it will determine whether the remains should be left in place or if the state medical examiner should be called to the scene, said West Valley Police Lt. Bill Merritt.
While West Valley officials wait for word on whether they can examine the remains, a search of the area with cadaver dogs resumed Thursday. "We don't want to be sitting around doing nothing and wasting valuable time," Merritt said