Death investigation underway after hikers find human remains near Cahaba River

The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office is conducting a death investigation following the weekend discovery of partial human remains, according to a sheriff’s office news release.

Hikers found the “badly decomposed” remains on Saturday, May 20, and deputies responded to the scene around 3:30 p.m. The two male hikers said they were in the wooded area behind Cahaba Forest Cove, where the Trails at Cahaba River apartments are located off of U.S. 280, when they found the remains. They then left the woods and called Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, according to the release.

Due to the state of the remains, it was not possible to determine the race or gender of the body at the scene, according to the release. Evidence was collected from the scene, and detectives are reviewing missing persons reports to try to find out the identity of the remains. Positive identification and cause of death will be determined by the coroner.

280 Living will update this story as more information becomes available.