Archaeologists recover 1,000-year-old remains of slain teen

COLLOONEY, Ireland, Sept. 14 (UPI) -- The life of a young Irishman, between 17 and 20 years of age, came to a violent end roughly a millennium ago.

Until recently, his bones sat undisturbed beneath a tree near Collooney, Ireland. But when a recent storm uprooted a 200-year-old beech tree, the young man's remains were exposed. Spookily, his torso was pulled above ground, while his feet remained planted in the soil.

The unearthed remains showed evidence of a violence. Scientists say injuries to his hand and ribs were likely inflicted by a sharp object -- likely a sword or knife. The young man was killed sometime between 1030 and 1200 CE.

Officials with Ireland's National Monuments Service called in a team of archaeologists to remove the remains before they were damaged, vandalized or stolen.

"As excavations go, this was certainly an unusual situation," lead excavator Marion Dowd, an archaeologist with Sligo-Leitrim Archaeological Services, told The Irish Times.

Though his resting place was shallow and haphazardly dug, researchers wrote in a Facebook post that the young man "had been given a formal Christian burial."

"No other burials are known from the area but historical records do indicate a possible graveyard and church in the vicinity," Dowd added.

Researchers are still analyzing the remains.