Human bones from thousands of years ago have been found in a neighboring area to the home of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in Montecito, California.
On May 24, the Sheriff’s office in Santa Barbara confirmed that human remains had been discovered, and a forensic investigation was underway.
The remains appeared to be those of a young adult and were described as “very old” and thought to date back around 11,000 years.
It was believed that they might have belonged to one of the Chumash people. This Native American group lived in the area centuries ago before being driven away from the land by settlers in the 16th to 18th centuries.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are living in Montecito — an area popular with celebrities including Oprah Winfrey and Ellen DeGeneres — with their 2-year-old son, Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, since after buying their luxury home when they stepped down as senior working members of the royal family.
Initial reports from the discovery say the remains were found three feet deep in the ground while landscaping construction was taking place on the road.
The Sheriff’s office enlisted the help of a forensic anthropologist to assist with identifying the origin of the remains, and the construction work has been halted until the investigation is complete.
A spokesperson for the Sheriff’s office said that they could not confirm anything until the official opinion from the forensic anthropologist was available.
In the early hours of Friday, June 4, the mystery surrounding the remains was solved.
In a statement, Raquel Zick, the spokesman for the Sheriff’s department, said: “On Thursday, June 3, 2021, the remains were examined by a forensic anthropology consultant, Dr. Rick Snow, at the Coroner’s Bureau in Santa Barbara. Snow also visited the residence where the remains were found to ensure that there were not any additional unearth remains or artifacts.”
The statement went on to explain: “After his examinations, Dr. Snow concluded that the remains are those of a Native American male of unknown age. The remains that were collected are not a complete skeleton, most of the bones are fragmented, and a majority of the bones from the hands and feet are missing.”
Authorities have revealed that they have contacted the Native American Heritage Centre (NAHC) as they will determine which tribe is linked to the remains.
The detectives have made it clear that the discovery was not related to the property of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
The mansion where Prince Harry and Meghan Markle reside was purchased last summer from Sergey Grishin, who bought the property more than ten years prior for $25 million.
