Estimated read time: 1-2 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
SALT LAKE CITY — A man uncovered what investigators believe may be human bones while digging in his backyard Wednesday.
The homeowner was digging a large hole to create a pond in the backyard of his home, near 550 North and 200 West in Salt Lake City, at about 4:30 p.m. when he discovered the bones, according to investigators.
The man wasn't sure if the bones were human, so he called the Salt Lake City Police Department. Officers responded to the home and then contacted the Utah State Medical Examiner's Office.
The bones appeared to be human and very old, a representative from the medical examiner's office told police. They took custody of the bones to run tests to try to date them.
Related Story
Bones discovered in SLC home are likely 100 years old, Native American
A state forensic anthropologist has determined that the bones discovered in a Salt Lake home date back more than 100 years and are likely Native American."I've had cases before where I've seen they've just brought (bones) back and booked them into evidence, but there must be something with this case to where they actually got the medical examiner involved," said Detective Veronica Montoya. "Usually if it may be fragments or something, then that's when they bring those back to be tested at a later date, but in this case a medical examiner did respond and take custody. Now it's up to them to determine whether they're human or not."
The medical examiner's office will contact the Salt Lake City Police Department with its findings, she said.
The homeowner was asked to put his project on hold until that time.
Contributing: Cleon Wall
