Veterans stunned by discovery of human remains on VFW grounds

The grisly discovery of two sets of human remains on the grounds of a Brockton VFW has stunned members of the post, who say theyve seen enough death.

All the members here are combat veterans, so something like this is upsetting, said post commander James Doherty, a Vietnam veteran who served as a helicopter door gunner.

He said the Veterans of Foreign Wars post owns 20 acres off North Quincy Street that is used by hikers, anglers and bow hunters. But Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz said yesterday the land also was used as a dumping ground for at least two sets of human remains.

The dismembered body of a woman believed to be in her 20s was discovered alongside the skeletal remains of another person Sunday.

Brockton police responded to a report of possible human remains about a quarter-mile into the woods off of North Quincy Street at 12:18 p.m. Sunday.

The two bodies, found in close proximity to each other, were in very different stages of decomposition, Cruz said. The more intact body, believed to be a woman in her 20s with medium-length brown hair, had been dismembered, he said. The age and sex of the other, more skeletal, remains, possibly also dismembered, has not yet been determined, Cruz said. The cause and manner of death have not been determined.

Neighbors were rattled by the gruesome find just steps from their backyards.

Im glad they found them when they did, one resident said. Hopefully, they can find out who they are and their families can get some closure.

Another neighbor said she was too distraught to talk about it. Its disgusting, she said.

Alan Tate of Mission for the Missing, a nonprofit organization that helps search for missing people, said investigators will have their hands full determining who killed them, how and why.

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Veterans stunned by discovery of human remains on VFW grounds