Skull found in forest belonged to missing Ferndale woman

Authorities say a human skull found in a forest last month belonged to a Ferndale woman reported missing in 2006.

The Snohomish County sheriff’s office said Tuesday that the county medical examiner’s office identified Sandy L. Rideout but that the manner and cause of her death is still under investigation.

Rideout was reported missing by Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office in 2006. Rideout was last seen in Bellingham but authorities believe she spent time in the Seattle area around that time.

Detectives from Snohomish County, Whatcom County and Seattle Police are investigating.

A logger reported finding skeletal remains on Nov. 25 while he was marking trees on private timberland near Gold Bar. No other human remains were found at the site.

This story was originally published December 8, 2015 at 12:59 PM with the headline "Skull found in forest belonged to missing Ferndale woman."