Memphis police say skeletal remains of three children ages 3–7 were found in Hickory Hill. FBI and TBI are assisting as investigators work to identify the victims and determine the cause of death.
MEMPHIS, Tenn.—Law enforcement in Memphis is investigating after skeletal remains of three children, ages 3 to 7, were found in a wooded area of Hickory Hill.
Investigation underway after remains discovered on Ridge Meadow Parkway
The case is centered on an area near Ridge Meadow Parkway. around the intersection area of Ridgeway Road and Winchester Road. where investigators are carrying out a planned. coordinated search.. Memphis Police Department leadership said the search is continuing as the work shifts from discovery to identification and deeper forensic analysis.
Investigators first responded on the evening of March 8 after receiving a “suspicious-person” call from the 3400 block of Ridge Meadow Parkway.. A woman walking her dog reported finding what appeared to be a human skull at the edge of the wooded area. prompting officers to confirm the discovery.. Because the initial find occurred after dark, authorities scheduled a more extensive search for the following day.
Multiple search phases with K-9 and drainage inspections
On March 9, officers returned with the medical examiner’s office to continue the search.. Additional efforts followed over March 10. when K-9 units alerted to a drainage pipe—an indication that possible remains could be inside.. Experts were brought in to inspect the pipe using cameras, but no remains were found at that stage.
Authorities later broadened their approach. On April 1, investigators accessed the drainage system from another nearby area and located what appeared to be another skull. The next day, search teams conducted another coordinated sweep, recovering 14 additional human bones.
Memphis Police Department Chief CJ Davis said that. based on the work of medical examiners and scientific personnel. the bones are believed to have been in the area for a few years.. He also said bone fragments were the only remains recovered directly from the crime scene. and that investigators are still working to identify the three children and determine the cause of death.
# What makes this investigation different—and harder—than it seems
Cases involving skeletal remains often hinge on what forensic teams can determine after decomposition over time.. Even when investigators can establish age ranges and that remains belong to children. identification can be slow. especially when bodies may have been concealed by terrain or the natural cover of a wooded area.. In this case. the timeline implied by investigators’ assessment that the remains may date back “a few years” increases the need for careful cross-checking—against missing persons reports. family records. and any other leads that can connect fragments to an identity.
There’s also a practical reality that can be easy to miss from the outside: a “discovery” is only the first phase.. The subsequent work involves mapping the exact areas searched. documenting what was found and where. and then coordinating results across multiple agencies.. That’s why FBI and TBI support is notable here—it signals an effort to speed up analysis and bring additional investigative resources into a case that appears to have outlasted the initial discovery window.
Community impact and why tips still matter
For neighbors in Hickory Hill. wooded lots and drainage paths can feel distant from everyday life—until they become part of an active investigation.. When remains are found. it reshapes the way residents view the landscape around familiar roads and trails. and it raises urgent questions that families can’t easily set aside: who were the children. and how long were they there?
Investigators are asking for the public’s help. urging anyone with information to contact CrimeStoppers at 901-528-CASH or the Memphis Police Department Homicide Bureau at 901-636-3300.. In cases like this. information doesn’t always arrive as a dramatic “tip.” Sometimes it comes as a memory—something noticed months or years ago. a detail about a person seen in the area. or a timeline that can help investigators narrow what happened and when.
As the investigation continues, identification will likely be the next major milestone.. That process may take time. but it remains essential: knowing who the children were is what allows the case to move from recovery to accountability—connecting forensic findings to a family. a story. and an explanation that can finally be addressed.