Skulls, bones unearthed in West Sacramento are from American Indians

Two human skulls and bones recovered at a construction site in West Sacramento have been confirmed as American Indian remains, police said.

Crews using heavy equipment to dig during housing construction in the Southport area unearthed the remains. Police said a construction crew unearthed one skull about 8:30 a.m. Tuesday in a field at Blue Rock Street and Bayside Road.

Police were told of the find Tuesday but could not find the remains that night. Officers and crime-scene investigators returned Wednesday and found the remains.

“The coroner’s office and CSI are investigating,” West Sacramento police Sgt. Roger Kinney said.

Kinney said the remains could be part of an American Indian burial mound.

“I have been told there had been other such sites down here,” he said

Later Wednesday, Kinney said the remains had been confirmed as being of American Indian descent and were turned over to the state Native American Heritage Commission, which has oversight of burial and historic sites.

“It’s been turned over to them,” the officer said. “This is not going to be a crime scene.”

Construction work at the site has halted for an unknown amount of time, he said.

This story was originally published October 7, 2015 at 12:38 PM with the headline "Skulls, bones unearthed in West Sacramento are from American Indians."