People searching for Native American artifacts in Canteen Creek stumbled onto something else entirely on October 29: part of a human skull. Collinsville police say a search of the surrounding area turned up no other remains, and the fragment has now been sent off for examination as investigators try to figure out who it belongs to.
According to firstalert4.com, the artifact hunters were out in the creek when they came across the partial skull, and police confirmed there were no other remains found nearby. Investigators also said the waterway is affected by rainfall, and that the skull was likely moved from its original location by the stream itself.
Anthropologist Now Examining the Remains
Police have sent the skull to an anthropologist to determine its age and how long it has been in the creek, the outlet reported. Once that information comes back, investigators plan to check dental records, though the station's report notes that process can take a long time.
Two names have already come up in connection with the discovery, and police have ruled both out. Josh Amos and Donnie Farris are both missing in the Collinsville area, and per the same account, police say their dental records were readily available and that this skull does not belong to either of them.
A Case That's Haunted a Family for Years
Amos's disappearance has drawn sustained attention in the region. The Belleville News-Democrat reported that Amos, then 32 and from Granite City, had been missing since March 19, 2023, after leaving a strip club in Washington Park — with surveillance footage placing him on a trucking company camera in East St. Louis later that same morning.
Search efforts for Amos have continued for months. Riverbender reported that police and his family organized several searches, including at least five K-9 searches, while FOX 2 described a rainy, humid day when around 150 people turned out to look for him alongside law enforcement. Reported reward amounts in the case have varied between outlets, with some putting the figure at $2,000 and others at $10,000.
For now, the creek-side discovery remains an open question. Collinsville police have ruled out the two names most associated with local missing-persons cases, but the skull itself still has no identification, and investigators are waiting on the anthropologist's findings before the next step — the dental record checks — can even begin.
