[9] In 2009, LSU professor Brooks Ellwood took core samples that revealed a layer of charcoal, possibly from a pit barbecue or a cremation.

[10][8] Based on his analysis of the material found within the mounds, Ellwood conjectures that they contain cremated human remains and are substantially older than the existing consensus, as much as 11,300 years old.

[11] Due to their location in a heavily trafficked area of campus, the mounds began to show signs of degradation as well as natural erosion.

Using river silt, the LSU Facility Services patched damage on both mounds and seeded a hybrid Bermuda grass to prevent future problems.

Officials from the school stated that the mounds had suffered internal structural damage that would lead to their eventual collapse.