‘Bones’ in South Laguna

A real life discovery right out of a “Bones” TV show script was dug up Monday when unidentified human remains were found on a construction site in Lower Three Arch Bay.

The Police Department and contractor Gregg Abel were called to the scene when a construction worker discovered a skull. More bones, although not a complete skeleton, were subsequently found. The bones are undergoing examination by the county Coroner’s Office, which preliminarily identified the remains as Native American.

“By the time I got there, the coroner and Detective Debbie Kelso were on the scene,” Abel said. “It is culturally fascinating, but it could screw up a construction site for months.”

Guidelines for the handling of Native American remains tie up construction while disposition of the bones is determined.

Digging has been stopped on the courtyard area of the oceanfront property, where the bones were found, but work has been allowed to continue on the home.

Age, sex, cause and time of death had not been announced as of Thursday.

Results of the coroner’s examination probably will not be made public before next week, said Deputy Sheriff Mitchell Sigal, watch commander of the coroner’s investigative division Wednesday. “A forensic anthropologist and a forensic pathologist are conducting the examination and it will be over when it’s over.”

The Police Department was notified of the discovery of the skull about 2:30 p.m. Monday.

“We get a lot of these calls so we sent a patrol officer and an animal control officer to determine if it actually was a human skull and when that was verified, we called the coroner’s office,” Lt. Jason Kravetz said. “This is a big piece of property that was last worked on in the 1940s.”

Kelso was assigned to the case, but if the coroner identifies the bones as ancient remains, the department cedes the investigation to the county, Kravetz said.

Protocol for the handling of Native American remains is specified by the California Native American Heritage Commission, headquartered in Sacramento.

The procedures are:

 Stop work immediately and notify the county coroner;

 The coroner has two working days to examine the human remains after being notified and 24 hours to notify the commission;

 The commission will notify the person it believes is the most likely descendant of the deceased;

 The most likely descendant has 48 hours to make recommendations to the property owner or representative on the treatment or dignified disposition of the remains and grave artifacts;

 If no recommendation is made, the property owner shall re-inter the remains in an area of the property secure from further disturbance;

 Either party may request mediation by the commission to discuss and confer the disposition; and

 Discuss and confer means meaningful and timely discussion considering the view of both parties.