Nashville, N.C. — The Nash County Sheriff's Office was investigating Wednesday after two sets of skeletal remains were found in Nash County.

Two men riding four-wheelers came across the remains in a field off N.C. Highway 43 north of Red Oak on Tuesday night, Capt. Pat Joyner said. Authorities are treating the case as a homicide investigation.

"At this time, we don't know if it's male, female, black, white or Hispanic," Nash County Sheriff Dick Jenkins said of the remains.

A team of anthropologists from East Carolina University assisted authorities in collecting the remains.

The remains, which appeared to have been out in the elements for several months, were sent to the Office of the State Chief Medical Examiner in Chapel Hill to determine cause of death.

Joyner said the sheriff’s office has made contact with a special task force looking into the deaths and disappearances of several women.

In all, the remains of eight women have been found over the past four years – seven in rural Edgecombe County and one in Halifax County. Two more women are missing.

Based on early evidence, authorities said they do not believe the remains found Wednesday are connected to those cases.

"We have something that tells us, that makes us believe that it's not (related), but I'm not at liberty to tell you (more) right now," Jenkins said.

If you have any information about the remains that could help investigators call the Nash County Sheriff's Office at 252-459-1556.