SAN FRANCISCO—According to the San Francisco Police Department, an unidentified female resident of Alamo Square discovered human remains in a garden last month on November 23, in the 1300 block of McAllister Street, which is adjacent to Steiner Street.
The San Francisco resident was gardening at the time of the discovery, and quickly filed a police report after finding the bones. Authorities announced that the remains were determined to be human bones on Wednesday, December 16 by the Medical Examiner’s office. According to investigation reports, the two bones found by the gardener belonged to a child.
The bones are believed to have been placed in the planters “a long time ago,” according to police. The Marin Count Sheriff’s Department provided cadaver dogs to determine whether more human remains were potentially in the area, but police reported that no additional remains were detected.
According to an exclusive interview conducted by ABC7 News, the woman indicated she found the bones in one of multiple planter boxes located on the porch of the residency. The woman says the planters were put on the porch eight years ago in 2007, and had recently been exposed to termites. The woman says she was trying to save the plants to throw out the boxes at the time of the discovery.
An investigation team arrived on scene after the reported incident to set up a lab and the SFPD taped off the area to preserve the planter box and dirt along the investigation area.
According to interviews conducted by ABC7 News with Alamo Square neighbors, the area is a relatively quiet. Neighbors are shocked by the recent discovery, and wondering if it is related to an incident that occurred within one of the apartment units.
The San Francisco Police Department is working closely with the Medical Examiner’s office as the investigation continues.