Police are investigating the identity and cause of death of a
person whose remains were found in a remote park west of Morgan
Hill.
Police are investigating the identity and cause of death of a person whose remains were found in a remote park west of Morgan Hill.
Santa Clara County park rangers found the remains about 11:15 a.m. Friday at Uvas Canyon County Park, according to sheriff’s Sgt. Rick Sung.
The remains were found in a dry ditch while rangers were performing routine maintenance on an existing hiking trail, Sung said. After further investigation with the help of a cadaver dog, authorities found more remains scattered around the area.
Detectives remained at the site until Saturday afternoon removing the remains, Sung said.
The identity, cause of death, gender, age and other factors surrounding the origin of the human remains are under investigation, Sung said. The coroner’s office, county medical examiner and sheriff’s office will work with forensic anthropologist Lorna Pierce for at least the next “several weeks” to continue examining the remains.
Whether or not foul play is suspected is also undetermined and under investigation, Sung said. Authorities also declined to guess how long the remains have been in the park.
As part of the investigation, the sheriff’s office will look through open cases of missing persons in Santa Clara County and surrounding jurisdictions, Sung said.
Anyone with information about this case may call the sheriff’s office at (408) 808-4500, or during non-business hours at (408) 808-4401.
