Toby Lee Thacker, Native American Bones Trafficking, Ohio 2015

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Native American Bones Trafficking Scheme Exposed

COLUMBUS, Ohio – In a shocking case of cultural desecration, a fourth defendant has pleaded guilty in the first criminal enforcement of the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act in the Southern District of Ohio.

Toby Lee Thacker, 55, of Wellston, Ohio, pleaded guilty in U.S District Court today to violating the Act by engaging in the excavation and sale of the human remains of a Native American.

This guilty plea marks the fourth conviction in a bone-chilling case that began in 2015, when David E. Skeens, 39, and Brian K. Skeens, 38, both of Wellston, Ohio, each pleaded guilty to engaging in the excavation and sale of the Native American bones. Mark M. Beatty, 56, of Wellston, Ohio, pleaded guilty in August 2015 to purchasing the remains.

According to court documents, David and Brian Skeens and Thacker were observed digging in a rock shelter in Salt Creek Valley in Jackson County, Ohio. When they were approached, they ran off into the woods and left behind shovels, dirt sifters, buckets and trash. Investigators confirmed that they had unburied human remains. Beatty admitted to purchasing those remains.

Further investigation revealed that the human remains were consistent with Native Americans, specifically identifiable by cradle boarding, a cultural activity used only by Native American Indians in North America. An archeologist confirmed that rockshelters were used extensively for burials in Southern Ohio and specifically in Jackson County. DNA testing concluded a direct connection to present day Native American Indians living in the United States today.

The remains will be transferred to the federally recognized tribes who have assisted with this case, and re-buried in Ohio at an undisclosed location and in private once all the court proceedings are completed.

Carter M. Stewart, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, praised the investigation by the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office and FBI, and the participation from an archeologist from Wayne National Forest and researchers from Ohio University, The Ohio State University and Washington State University, as well as Assistant United States Attorneys J. Michael Marous and Brian Martinez, who are representing the United States in this case.

The case is a grim reminder of the importance of respecting the cultural heritage of Native American communities. As this investigation demonstrates, the law will be enforced to protect the rights of these communities and prevent such desecrations from occurring in the future.