STAFFORD Co., Va. - Human remains found 32 years ago in Stafford County were recently identified as belonging to a former Norfolk resident.
According to the Stafford County Sheriff's Office, on September 28, 1990, a human skull was found lying under a fence line next to Joshua Road while the property's owner was bush hogging his field. The area was searched, but no additional human remains were located.
The skull showed no signs of trauma and appeared to have been at the location for an extended period of time.
After DNA analysis, detectives learned the skull belonged to an adolescent Caucasian male between the ages of 15 and 18 years old, and placed a reasonable estimate of time between death and its discovery at 1 to 3 years. A cause of death was not determined, but due to the victim's estimated age and the location where the skull was found, a violent or unnatural manner of death was strongly suspected.
Detectives say the skull belonged to Timothy Mangum, who attended Lake Taylor High School in Norfolk during the April 1983 school year after having withdrawn from the Chesapeake Public School system in January 1983.
Detectives believe that Mangum was last alive between 1983 and 1984, but not much more information is known about his disappearance or the circumstances around his death.
If you had any contact with Mangum or can provide any information as to why he would have been in Stafford County, please call 540-658-4727 or email dwood@staffordcountyva.gov.
