If you are starting to build a new home or if you plan to demolish a home or outhouse, it can be disturbing to come across some bones. Luckily, most of the time large bones are from animals, but it is important to ensure that you follow the correct process if you do find bones.
Step 1. Call the police
The first step if you find bones is to call the police. They can assess whether the remains are human. If not, they will clear you to continue your building work. If they are unsure if the bones are animal or are sure they are human they will next contact a forensics team to determine the age and likely origin of the remains.
The forensics team may also call historians to see if there is any record of your site being a burial ground or if there is any idea of why a body may be there.
Step 2. Determine if this is a crime scene
The forensics team will then assess the site to see if there is evidence of this being a crime scene or if it appears to be a burial. This will be evident both from the position of the body, the age of the body and anything that was buried alongside the body.
Step 3. Removal of the body
If it appears to be a relatively recent deceased body, the police will remove the remains and continue forensic analysis to determine if the body matches with any missing persons or known crime victims on record.
If the body was placed in the site for a planned burial, then archaeology will be used to assess the remnants around the body and age of the body to determine the likely origin of the body. If the burial appears to be of indigenous customs, then the archaeologist will help to identify the tribe that the person belonged to in life. They will then consult with an elder to both organise removal and relocation of the remains in a sensitive way that maintains appropriate connection with the customs of the tribe.
This may also involve doing some ceremonies on your property to cleanse the area of any lingering spirits.
The most common result of situations like these is that the bones are not of human origin or from an extremely old burial site. In any case, is important to get appropriate advice from police and archaeologists so that if these are human remains, they are treated with the respect they deserve.
Share11 December 2015
Do you have questions about consulting? Do you want to know how it can improve your life, your business or your future? Then, you need to check out my blog posts. My name is Roberta, and I love to write. I also faithfully read the business section of the newspaper, and I love explaining things to others. Together, those passions fueled my interest in starting this type of blog. I hope that you learn from these posts and the research that I have done, and I sincerely hope that this information helps you. In addition to blogging, I love working on computers, trying new recipes and spending time with friends.