Memphis police announced on April 2 that they had discovered the remains of three young children along Ridge Meadow Parkway and launched a joint investigation with state and federal agencies. The remains are believed to belong to children between the ages of 3 and 7, and investigators said they had been in the area for a few years.

The investigation began on March 8, when an anonymous caller reported a possible human skull near a wooded area in the 3400 block of Ridge Meadow Parkway. Responding officers found what appeared to be a human skull at the edge of the woods. During a subsequent canvass of the area, cadaver dogs alerted to a nearby drainage pipe indicating possible human remains.

The drain system was inspected using a camera system on March 16. Investigators assessed the drainage system and located an additional skull on April 1. Search teams conducted a coordinated canvass on April 2 and recovered 14 additional bones consistent with human remains. An operation took place Wednesday along Ridge Meadow Parkway in search of additional evidence.

The investigation includes local, state and federal officials, including the FBI and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigations. The police department conducted a review of all recent missing persons reports but did not find a record matching the profile of the remains.

"We know that this individual was not, or these individuals were not, persons that were reported out of our area," Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn "CJ" Davis said. She appealed to the public for information that could help identify the children. "Somebody knows where these children have come from. Someone knows of missing children that we have discovered in this area."

Davis said there was no ongoing danger connected to the discovery. "There's no threat to the public," she said. Anyone with information was encouraged to contact Crime Stoppers at 901-528-2274.