SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

This notice is published as part of the National Park Service's administrative responsibilities under NAGPRA. The determinations in this notice are the sole responsibility of the Montcalm County Sheriff's Office, and additional information on the determinations in this notice, including the results of consultation, can be found in its inventory or related records. The National Park Service is not responsible for the determinations in this notice.

Abstract of Information Available

Human remains representing at least one individual have been identified. No associated funerary objects are present. Remains are currently located in the evidence room of the Montcalm County Sheriff's Office. Remains include eight skeletal bones. Skeletal bones are being kept inside of a bag, within a small briefcase. Remains were located by the homeowner at 4169 W Stanton Rd. Stanton, MI 48888. Remains were physically located at the address of 4171 W Stanton Rd. Stanton, MI 48888 in the years 1991 and 1992 while a home was being constructed. Initial remains were collected by the Sheriff's Office in 1991/1992 and analyzed by Western Michigan University (WMU). WMU determined the remains to have laid in the ground for over 100 years and were not of ( printed page 48430) forensic interest. The remains were determined to most likely belong to an aboriginal American Indian. The Sheriff's Office, and homeowner at 4169 W Stanton Rd, received a letter from WMU in February of 1992 stating as such. The remains currently at the Sheriff's Office were located by the homeowner at 4169 W Stanton Rd, at the same location (property of 4171 W Stanton Rd), in 1992 (after this February date). These remains were held onto by that homeowner until October of 2023. In October of 2023, the homeowner at 4169 W Stanton Rd turned over the skeletal remains to the homeowner at 4171 W Stanton Rd. The homeowner at 4171 W Stanton Rd then turned over the skeletal remains to the Sheriff's Office that same month. The Sheriff's Office believes the remains in our possession belong to the same individual that was identified by WMU in 1992. Lineal decedents or cultural affiliation is believed to be with the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe due to geographic location. To the Office's knowledge, no presence of hazardous substance treatment exists with these remains.

Cultural Affiliation

Based on the information available and the results of consultation, cultural affiliation is reasonably identified by the geographical location or acquisition history of the human remains described in this notice.

Determinations

The Montcalm County Sheriff's Office has determined that:

• The human remains described in this notice represent the physical remains of one individual of Native American ancestry.
• There is a connection between the human remains described in this notice and the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe of Michigan.

Requests for Repatriation

Written requests for repatriation of the human remains in this notice must be sent to the authorized representative identified in this notice under ADDRESSES . Requests for repatriation may be submitted by:

1. Any one or more of the Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations identified in this notice.

2. Any lineal descendant, Indian Tribe, or Native Hawaiian organization not identified in this notice who shows, by a preponderance of the evidence, that the requestor is a lineal descendant or an Indian Tribe or Native Hawaiian organization with cultural affiliation.

Repatriation of the human remains described in this notice to a requestor may occur on or after August 31, 2026. If competing requests for repatriation are received, the Montcalm County Sheriff's Office must determine the most appropriate requestor prior to repatriation. Requests for joint repatriation of the human remains are considered a single request and not competing requests. The Montcalm County Sheriff's Office is responsible for sending a copy of this notice to the Indian Tribes and Native Hawaiian organizations identified in this notice and any other consulting parties.

Authority: Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, 25 U.S.C. 3003, and the implementing regulations, 43 CFR 10.10.

91 FR 48429