LITCHFIELD (Heartland Newsfeed) — Preliminary information was released by the Illinois State Police’s Zone 6 investigation team Thursday following an investigation of skeletal remains found approximately 100 yards from the shoreline of Litchfield’s Lake Lou Yaeger late Wednesday afternoon.

The remains were found by a utility worker who was in the process of clearing brush along a hillside and contacted Litchfield Police Department, who in turn reached out to the state police.

Investigative teams from Litchfield, as well as Collinsville, with a crime scene investigator responded to the scene, searching the area and processing potential evidence until dark before the site was being secured and carefully monitored overnight by Litchfield Police Department.

Additional searches were done by ISP investigators, Litchfield police offices, numerous investigators from multiple agencies, representatives from emergency management and canine assets to locate additional items of concern with all recovered items being forwarded to the forensic laboratory in Springfield for further examination and analysis. No time frame has been given as to when this analysis will be completed.

Extra caution has been given in this recovery effort, as it could be related to an ongoing investigation in Macoupin County concerning the disappearance of Denita Hedden a couple months ago. Proper precautions included contact with the Major Case Squad and the Macoupin County Sheriff’s Department in reference to the remains.

As of the release, there were no immediate apparent relationships to the remains found at Lake Lou Yaeger or the ongoing investigation of Hedden’s disappearance. The investigation on the discovered remains is ongoing, with ISP providing further information as made available.