He lived 7,500 years before Christ. He was about 40 years old, five foot ten inches tall and had lived a tough life. His chest had been crushed when he was younger, likely from a fall or combat, and his hip bone had been pierced by a small stone projectile- a spearhead- that became lodged in his body for some time until his death.

His name is unknown but he is called the Kennewick Man by scientists who collected his almost complete skeletal remains from a riverbed in Kennewick, Washington, in America's Northwest.

"Hey, I think we have a human head!"

You will not learn much about this, the oldest and most complete archaeological find in North America. The United States Government has already re-buried him and confiscated all traces of his bones and fragments. There's something about him that they don't want you to know.

On July 29, 1996, Will Thomas, 21, and Dave Deacy,19, were preparing for the regular Saturday Hydro Races on Washington state's Columbia River. About ten feet from shore, Deacy called to his friend on shore, "Hey, I think we have a human head!"

Joking about what felt like a large boulder in the shallow water, Deacy reached down and pulled up the round object. His smile turned to shock as he saw that this brownish "rock" had teeth!

The skull remained hidden in some brush until well after the races. The pair then returned with a collection of police and deputies, ready to investigate what might have been a homicide crime scene. A survey of the area revealed more bone fragments and these, together with other potential clues, were sent to the forensic examiner. If this was a homicide, how old were these remains?

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