Authorities in Pennsylvania are conducting forensic testing on human remains discovered in Berks County to determine whether they belong to a man who disappeared earlier this year after fleeing from law enforcement.
According to a joint news release issued Monday, Dec. 29, by the Berks County District Attorney’s Office and the Cumru Township Police Department, officers were alerted on Sunday, Dec. 28, after a passerby walking a dog noticed what appeared to be human remains in a wooded area near Lakewood Drive in the Flying Hills community.
Investigators said the remains were located about 20 yards off a golf cart path leading to the 18th green, between Doral Drive and Lakewood Drive. An initial examination confirmed the remains were human, though the victim’s gender has not yet been determined. The district attorney’s forensic sciences unit processed the scene for potential evidence.
Officials emphasized that the discovery does not appear to be connected to another set of human remains found in Cumru Township in April 2025.
Police said detectives from Cumru Township, the district attorney’s office, and the Berks County Coroner’s Office are working together to advance the investigation.
In a social media post Monday, the U.S. Marshals Service acknowledged the discovery and noted that the area is consistent with the last known location of Travelle Martin, who fled from police earlier this year.
According to a Jan. 8, 2025, police release, officers had been dispatched to a Flying Hills residence six days earlier following a report of a physical domestic incident. Police said they observed Martin assaulting a woman through a front window upon arrival.
As officers entered the home, Martin allegedly took the woman’s cell phone and fled out the back door. Authorities searched the surrounding area using a K-9 unit and a drone but were unable to locate him at the time.
Martin was later charged with robbery, domestic assault, and additional related offenses, and an active warrant was issued for his arrest as the search continued.
Police said there are no further updates at this stage, and the investigation into the remains is ongoing.
Anyone with information related to the discovery is urged to contact the Cumru Township Police Department at 610-777-9595 or the Berks County District Attorney Detectives Office at 610-478-7171.
