Remains found in Towamencin identified, investigation closed, officials say

Montgomery County Coroner Janine Darby. (Photo by James Short for North Penn Now)

NORRISTOWN – As a result of a months-long, multi-agency investigation, Montgomery County Coroner Janine Darby publicly announced Tuesday that skeletal remains found in Towamencin in March have been identified as those of 34-year-old Isaias Hernandez-Geronimo, but the cause of death is still undetermined.

“Identifying skeletal remains is a meticulous process,” Darby said in a press release Tuesday morning. She said the family has already been notified. Geronimo leaves behind a wife and children. According to Darby, he had moved to the United States a few months before his death.

Darby said at a press conference that it was a particularly sad case because “no one should die alone.”

“Based on our findings and conversations with the family, two years have passed,” Darby said of the period in which the remains were not found. It is not known if Geronimo is a documented citizen. Darby said the identification of the body was only possible thanks to DNA.

According to Darby, there was “barely any DNA” left on the body. This allowed them to find the family and “make the connection.”

“If there are no body fluids, it is very difficult to take tissue samples and analyze them for DNA,” she said.

According to Darby, who noted that there is no suspicion of foul play, the case is now officially closed.

Darby was joined by Towamencin Township Police Chief Tim Troxel, Detective Jack Wittenberger of the Montgomery County Detective Bureau, Dr. Ian Hood, a forensic pathologist, Dr. John Nase, a forensic dentist, and Arthur Young, a forensic DNA analyst.

In March, human remains were found in Towamencin Township. Since then, local police and county investigators have been working to identify the body and determine what might have happened. An assessor working on contract near Welsh Road and Grist Mill Drive contacted police at approximately 11:58 a.m. on March 18 and reported seeing a human skull in a retention pond. According to reports in March, Police Chief Troxel said police found the skull the same day and secured the scene.

Police reported at the time that there were “no initial indications of trauma or foul play” at the scene, but the investigation was continuing. On March 21, Darby updated North Penn nowand explained that her team was called to the scene following the discovery. She noted that additional remains were recovered, but the body was incomplete, with both hands, a foot and other skeletal parts still exposed.

Darby noted teeth marks on the bones, likely from local animals, as she said the body had been in the pool for one to two years. Forensic anthropologists are needed to determine age, size and sex, as well as cause of death, she said.

“Our goal is to find out who this person was, how they died and provide closure to their loved ones,” Darby said in an interview in March 2024. A joint investigation by the Towamencin Police Department and the Montgomery County Detective Bureau was ongoing at the time.

On March 28, anthropologists identified the remains as male, at least 40 years old, and about 5’6″ tall, but the cause of death was not yet determined. On June 3, Darby reported that investigators returned to the site where the body was found a second time and found a lower jaw and a cell phone.

“We’re close,” Darby said in June. “We’re waiting to get some things back.”

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