Police sift through missing person reports after human remains found in shallow Detroit grave
DETROIT (FOX 2) - Crews renovating a west side Detroit home made a grim discovery Monday afternoon: remains buried behind a house.
Construction crew discovers remains
Workers were at the home in the 19700 block of Woodingham near Outer Drive renovating the house when they found the remains buried in a shallow grave around 1 p.m.
Detroit Police Asst. Chief Charles Fitzgerald said the workers spotted a foot and part of a shin sticking out of the ground.
According to investigators, the remains were covered in a burlap bag and partially buried. The remains were partially composed.
City, state, and federal authorities all responded to the scene to remove the remains, a process that took hours.
"It's going to be tough for us, but we're going to work around the clock," Fitzgerald said Monday afternoon, as authorities were working to get the remains.
The remains were eventually removed late Monday.
Police work to ID remains
Investigators are now sifting through missing person reports as they attempt to identify the remains.
It is unclear if the remains belonged to an adult or child. According to police, the remains appear to be from a person who had a small stature, so they are looking at both missing adults and children.
Police also do not know the sex of the person, or how long the remains have been behind the home.
"As of right now, we don't know," Fitzgerald said. "All we see is a foot at this point."
Neighbors said no one has lived in the house since early November. The current owner had crews working on the house in preparation to rent it.
What happens next?
"A lot to do," Fitzgerald said. "It's very early on."
Police expect to have more details mid-week.