July 27, 2007

On Thursday, 7/26/07, officers responded to 1327 Fairmont Street in reference to a report of someone finding suspicious-looking bones in a vacant apartment. Upon arrival and initial investigation, officers did discover what appeared to be a human skull and bones in an upstairs closet. Homicide detectives were called to investigate.

The home has been vacant for several years but is owned by a fraternal organization called "Knights of Pythias". The Order of Knights of Pythias is an international, non-sectarian fraternal order, established in 1864 in Washington, DC, and was the first fraternal order to be chartered by an Act of Congress. According to the homeowner, he was aware these bones were in the house. They were used as props during memberships and initiations into the organization. The owner has been a member of this organization since the 1950's and stated the bones had been used as long as he can remember and has no idea where they came from. The bones were stored in an upstairs closet of this vacant home and several other props are located throughout the home that were also used during fraternal ceremonies.

The bones were taken to the Mecklenburg County Medical Examiner's Office to be examined. The examination revealed that there was a real human skull and a real human right femur bone. Another bone collected for examination was found to be an animal bone. Both the skull and femur are believed to be very old, possibly dating back to the 1950's era. There was no indication that any crime took place in the residence or to suggest any kind of foul play.