Partial skull and other bones found in O.C. backyard are human, authorities say

Bones unearthed in the backyard of a Mission Viejo home earlier this week were determined to be human, authorities said.

The skeletal remains found at the home in the 24000 block of Via Madrugada include bone fragments and a partial skull, according to the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, which is continuing to investigate the discovery.

“Homicide investigators will be actively working with coroner forensic anthropologists to ID the decedent,” sheriff’s officials wrote in a statement.

Additional information was not immediately available “due to the ongoing investigation,” officials said.

The Sheriff’s Department said the home’s resident found the bones while doing yard work Monday and investigators were working to determine their origin.

“Obviously, if these are human and not animal, that very much changes the investigation for us,” sheriff’s spokeswoman Carrie Braun said. “This is not a typical occurrence.”