Tourists Thought They Found Fossils, Might Be Human Remains Instead

Authorities said that tourists visiting a South Carolina island came across centuries-old human skeletal remains.

The Colleton County Sheriff’s Office said in a press release that it responded to a report about the remains found on Edisto Island on Friday, May 23.

The sheriff’s office said deputies were sent to the Jeremy Cay community near Legare Road, a beachfront property, after the tourists discovered what they initially thought were fossils while exploring the area.

“Upon closer examination, they realized the remains appeared to be human and promptly contacted the Colleton County Sheriff’s Office and the Edisto Police Department,” the department said.

Authorities closed off the area and conducted a preliminary investigation, according to the sheriff’s office. The location of the remains is historically noteworthy, authorities noted, as it was once a 19th-century settlement known as Edingsville Beach. 

“Early indications suggest the remains may originate from a long forgotten burial site,” said the sheriff’s office.  

The remains were recovered with the assistance of the Colleton County Coroner’s Office and taken to the Medical University of South Carolina for forensic examination and analysis. 

The identity of the remains and the circumstances behind their death are currently unknown, stated the sheriff’s office, adding the investigation is active. 

In an interview with Newsweek on Sunday, May 25, Colleton County Coroner Richard Harvey said the remains consist of a skull and separated bones. Harvey further added that they could be from the Revolutionary War or Civil War, and that his office plans to identify the bones and determine how old they are.  

According to Edisto Island’s website, Edingsville Beach was once a popular vacation spot, particularly for the elite, during the first half of the 19th century. In 1825, it was made up of 60 tabby and brick houses with verandas facing the ocean. The community also had several churches, boathouses, a schoolhouse and a billiard saloon.

Over time, Edingsville Beach faded due to continued beach erosion and the impact of the Civil War. In 1885, a hurricane hit the island, and all that was left were a few houses. Towards the end of the century, the island was all but abandoned. 

The website also noted that in 2015, a tourist from Pennsylvania visiting the north end of Edisto Island spotted a bone sticking out of the mud and collected several of them before they got washed away by the high tide. Shortly after, a former Edisto Beach State Park ranger found several teeth attached to a skull while on vacation.

Paleontologists later determined that both sets of remains — one of them a cow skeleton — dated back to 1865 and 1870.

PEOPLE contacted the Colleton County Coroner’s Office and the Colleton County Sheriff’s Office for additional information on Tuesday, May 27.