Officers investigating the discovery of human remains in a wooded area of western New York came across a second body nearby, the Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Office said Tuesday.

It’s not yet known whether the finds are connected.

The first body, believed to be female, appeared to have gone undetected for much longer than the body found later, the sheriff’s office said. The gender of the second body was not immediately known.

Both were sent to a lab in Erie, Pennsylvania for analysis.

Sheriff James Quattrone told The Post-Journal of Jamestown that it was too early to tell if the discoveries were related, but he characterized the finds as suspicious.

The investigation began after a hiker found a human skull Sunday. Investigators found the second body during a follow-up search Monday.

The remains were found in the vicinity of the Alison Wells Ney Nature Trail, a 5.7-mile path along a former rail corridor in Portland.

(AP)