The discovery was made outside the Lincoln Motel on the 15000 block of Roosevelt Boulevard.
According to officials, two people were walking in the woods, apparently looking for deer antlers, when they found the skull and bones.
Authorities say the skull appears to have belonged to a female between the ages of 25 and 50.
"In order for them to determine exactly what happened, if they can't find a cause a death, they really have to deteremine who this individual is," Chief Inspector Scott Small of the Philadelphia Police said.
The skull is fully decomposed, however there were teeth attached to it.
One of the bones, believed to be a pelvis, had mold on it.
Police also found nearby what is described as a duffel bag or a partially buried mattress.
"There is a lot of debris in the woods just because it's so close to this parking lot and it's so close to the Boulevard," Small said.
The manager at the Lincoln Motel said mattresses are occasionally discarded and could have easily been used by what he described as the many homeless nearby.
Investigators are not closing any doors on whose skull it might be.
"It's either a missing person that may have wandered away or it could be a homicide victim who was buried or hidden here," Small said.
As the medical examiner looks for clues as to the identity and cause of death, police are looking over missing persons' reports and other cold cases as many anxious families hope this could give them answers they've longed sought.
