Authorities are awaiting the identification of a set of skeletal remains discovered Monday in northern Effingham County. 

An anonymous tip led Effingham County sheriff’s deputies to the discovery of the remains near the edge of a field on Ardmore Oaky Road.

The remains appeared to have been there for quite some time, according to Effingham County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Detective David Ehsanipoor. The remains were found near the end of a plowed field a short distance from the road.

After they were collected, they were sent to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation state crime lab in Savannah for an autopsy. Authorities quickly ruled out that the remains were those of Bryce Tarter, an Armstrong Atlantic State University student who has been missing since late January.

Identifying the remains could be take a few weeks if there are no matching existing dental records.