Fetal remains entombed in concrete found in dead woman's home

SHEBOYGAN, Wis. - Relatives sorting through the apartment of a deceased 64-year-old woman found fetal remains entombed in a concrete-filled bucket.

The fetus, which was estimated at 20 to 50 years old, appeared to be full term and may have been placed in a plastic bag in the bucket within a half hour of delivery, police said Tuesday.

It remained unclear who the parents of the fetus were, and authorities were awaiting information on the cause of death from a forensic anthropologist.

While sifting through the belongings of the Barbara Krueger, who died of natural causes last month, family members came across a five-gallon metal pail that seemed to be filled with concrete.

They were suspicious because the bucket was too light for concrete, police said. They broke open the concrete and found skeletal remains in a plastic bag.

''This is one of the stranger incidents I've run into,'' Deputy Police Chief Robert Wojs said. ''It appears that somebody carried the fetal remains from apartment to apartment for at least 20 years.''

Krueger apparently lived in six residences over the years, and one of her daughters recalled seeing the bucket at one of her previous homes, Wojs said.

Police said there were no indications the baby's death was a homicide, but they had interviewed two of the woman's former husbands to gain more information.

Authorities did not intend to pursue testing of the genetic material DNA unless further evidence suggested the cause of death was a homicide, Wojs said.