WRENTHAM, Mass. (WPRI) — Among the polished granite headstones at Central Cemetery lies a meager circular marker bearing only a number.
Number 18’s marker includes no name or epitaph like the others interred at the Wrentham cemetery.
That’s because the marker belongs to an unidentified man who died more than five decades ago.
Number 18 is one of several bodies buried in a portion of the cemetery called Potters Field — where unknown remains and those without families have been laid to rest.
Raymond Rose, the town’s cemetery parks manager, told 12 News he was rummaging through his filing cabinets when he came across something peculiar.
“Under ‘U’ for unidentified was a card for an unidentified skeleton,” Rose recalled. “So, being as naturally curious as I am, I took that to the next step.”
Rose feverishly researched the skeleton’s potential origin and eventually uncovered newspaper clippings dating back to April 1974.
The headline immediately caught his eye: “Hikers find skeleton in Wrentham woods.”