Post by jadedsage on May 25, 2004 15:40:59 GMT -5
Reporter: Ben Jackey
New Media Producer: Brad Maglinger
All they wanted was a new room, but the Meyers got more than that when contractors started digging Thursday.
"Saw something that I thought was a piece of wood, so I went to show my dad," says nine-year-old Cody Meyer.
"I thought it was an animal bone," says Cody's dad Russ.
"By the length of it," Heather Meyer explains. "There were notches, I could tell where it fit into the shoulders and the elbow joint. It was too long to be any kind of animal."
The more Heather and her family dug, the more they found. So, they called authorities and a day later an archaeologist was at their home. "He was very excited about the bones that were found," Russ Meyer states. "He estimated that the bones were at least 2,000-years-old."
Saturday, their young Cody made another historic discovery. "I was just walking around and I found a piece of a skull, and found a jawbone," he says.
"It's been huge," says Heather. "Just yesterday, I worked all day and I called him and he told me, and I didn't believe him. It sunk in and I told a couple of people at work and they were just like, 'Wow!'"
However, the Meyers say they would gladly trade the excitement for a new addition to their house. "It's exciting, but it's a little nerve-racking because we can't get our house done," says 12-year-old Tyler Meyer.
Saturday night Newswatch spoke with the senior archeologist who did the preliminary investigation of that prehistoric site.
Jim Mohow, with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources in Indianapolis, tells us this is a huge discovery, and that he's certain there is much to be learned from this find.
"Preliminary evaluation certainly identified at least two human burials, also evidence of prehistoric fire pits, and some prehistoric stone artifacts," says Mohow. "It seems likely they're prehistoric Native Americans 2,000-years-old or older. We have a site here that offers greater information on pre-history than the average site. As a matter of fact, significantly greater information than the average site."
It could take several months for all the forensic testing to be completed, and there is still several weeks' worth of work to be done at the site in Spencer County.
Newswatch has been asked by the state not to release the exact location of the find. The site is secured and anyone caught tampering there could face felony charges.
New Media Producer: Brad Maglinger
All they wanted was a new room, but the Meyers got more than that when contractors started digging Thursday.
"Saw something that I thought was a piece of wood, so I went to show my dad," says nine-year-old Cody Meyer.
"I thought it was an animal bone," says Cody's dad Russ.
"By the length of it," Heather Meyer explains. "There were notches, I could tell where it fit into the shoulders and the elbow joint. It was too long to be any kind of animal."
The more Heather and her family dug, the more they found. So, they called authorities and a day later an archaeologist was at their home. "He was very excited about the bones that were found," Russ Meyer states. "He estimated that the bones were at least 2,000-years-old."
Saturday, their young Cody made another historic discovery. "I was just walking around and I found a piece of a skull, and found a jawbone," he says.
"It's been huge," says Heather. "Just yesterday, I worked all day and I called him and he told me, and I didn't believe him. It sunk in and I told a couple of people at work and they were just like, 'Wow!'"
However, the Meyers say they would gladly trade the excitement for a new addition to their house. "It's exciting, but it's a little nerve-racking because we can't get our house done," says 12-year-old Tyler Meyer.
Saturday night Newswatch spoke with the senior archeologist who did the preliminary investigation of that prehistoric site.
Jim Mohow, with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources in Indianapolis, tells us this is a huge discovery, and that he's certain there is much to be learned from this find.
"Preliminary evaluation certainly identified at least two human burials, also evidence of prehistoric fire pits, and some prehistoric stone artifacts," says Mohow. "It seems likely they're prehistoric Native Americans 2,000-years-old or older. We have a site here that offers greater information on pre-history than the average site. As a matter of fact, significantly greater information than the average site."
It could take several months for all the forensic testing to be completed, and there is still several weeks' worth of work to be done at the site in Spencer County.
Newswatch has been asked by the state not to release the exact location of the find. The site is secured and anyone caught tampering there could face felony charges.