Human skeletal remains, presumably those of a person reported missing in January, were discovered this morning when a woman was walking her dog in Halifax.

The bones were discovered on Montford Street, Captain Jay Burch, of the Halifax County Sheriff’s Office, said. The rest of the body, which had decomposed, was found in the woods off the road.

The State Bureau of Investigation was collecting the remains to determine if they matched the person reported missing on January 26, Burch said. The SBI will also determine whether foul play was involved.

Burch declined to immediately name the person.

The woman told investigators she was walking her dog around 9 a.m. and the dog noticed the bones and she believed they were possibly human.

A search of the woods nearby led investigators to find the remains and it is believed they may have been there since the report was filed or soon after, Burch said.

The remains the dog noticed were most likely scattered by animals, the captain said.

Officers had searched the woods around the area twice after the initial report, Burch said. It was not clear whether the section where the remains were was searched.