A finding that the grave at Fort Sill is intact and undisturbed would shift the question differently: if Geronimo’s remains are at Fort Sill and were not disturbed, then what are at Skull and Bones (if anything) must be the remains of another Apache person, whose identity and return would need to be addressed separately.

Each of these outcomes would require further action, further consultation, and further engagement with the Apache communities most directly connected to the history.

None of them would close the story entirely; all of them would shift it to its next phase.

The mystery is not a simple puzzle with a single answer.

It is an open historical and ethical question with multiple dimensions, each of which deserves the attention and respect it has not always received.

The Living History