Human remains found by Essex County excavation crew could be a century old, police say

Human remains found by an excavation crew in Colchester this week havebeen there as long as 100 years, police say.

Const. Steven Duguay of Essex County OPP says the crew was working on a residential property Tuesday. Around 1:30 p.m., workers were moving soil when they unearthed human remains.

Officers were called to the area and secured the scene.Now the OPP is working with the Regional Coroner's Office and a forensic anthropologist to learn more.

Police say this is an isolated incident and don't believe there's a threat to public safety. Duguay says the remains had been there for a while long enough that investigators are still determining the gender and age of the person.

They're looking at whether there was a burial ground there, he says, or if the remains are linked to a decades-old cold case.

"At this point, it's still too early to tell," he said. But determining the land's history"will be the next step."

"We're going to keep every option open and see where it leads investigators."