Human Skull Found Inside Military Footlocker in Old U-Haul Near Lake Villa

LAKE VILLA, Ill. — Authorities are investigating after a decades-old human skull was discovered inside a military footlocker stored in an abandoned U-Haul truck at an automotive business near Lake Villa.

The Lake County Sheriff’s Office responded around 6:05 p.m. on September 21 to an automotive shop in the 37600 block of Route 59 in unincorporated Lake Villa after receiving a report of a possible human skull.

According to Lake County Sheriff’s Office Chief Christopher Covelli, a man was cleaning out the business, which had been owned by his late father since the early 2000s, when the discovery was made. An old U-Haul truck had reportedly been sitting on the property since before his father took ownership of the business.

Inside the truck was what appeared to be a military footlocker containing memorabilia and a suspicious item. Deputies examined the contents and discovered what appeared to be a human skull.

The word “Okinawa” was written across the skull’s forehead.

The Lake County Coroner’s Office reviewed photographs of the discovery and determined the skull appeared to be human. Authorities collected the remains and transferred them to the coroner’s office for further examination.

Investigators subsequently determined that the footlocker likely belonged to a deceased man who would now be approximately 79 years old. Interviews conducted during the investigation indicated the man had been stationed in Okinawa and Korea during the Vietnam War era.

The skull was later examined by a forensic anthropologist at Northwestern University. According to Lake County Chief Deputy Coroner Steve Newton, preliminary findings indicate the remains are decades old and there is greater than a 90% probability that the skull belonged to a Japanese woman.

The circumstances surrounding how the skull came into the serviceman’s possession have not been publicly established.

Once the forensic anthropologist’s final report is completed, the Lake County Coroner’s Office plans to work with the Japanese consulate to arrange for the remains to be properly repatriated.

Authorities have not publicly identified the deceased serviceman believed to have owned the footlocker.

The Lake County Sheriff’s Office and Lake County Coroner’s Office are continuing their investigation into the unusual discovery.