By Aristos Georgiou
Science and Health Reporter
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Construction workers in Tallahassee, Florida, have uncovered the remains of a skeleton near a middle school.
Preliminary findings indicated that the remains are likely human, the Tallahassee Police Department said in a statement.
The construction workers uncovered the skeleton while digging at the site—located in the south of Tallahassee—just after 11 a.m. on Tuesday.
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The construction site lies on the other side of the street from Fairview Middle School.
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After uncovering the skeleton, the construction workers immediately notified law enforcement.
Police are now conducting an investigation in the area of Zillah Street and Tram Road where the skeleton was found.
"This is an open and active investigation and updates will be provided as more information becomes available," Tallahassee police said in a Twitter post.
Heather Merritt, a spokesperson for the police department, said, at this stage, it is unclear if foul play was involved.
"It is too early at this time to make that determination. Our team is still on scene right now searching for remains," she told WCTV Tuesday.
Newsweek has contacted the Tallahassee Police Department for comment.
In the event that construction workers uncover bones or other archaeological artifacts, many contract documents require that the contractor immediately suspend operations upon discovery.
According to Florida law, anyone who finds human remains should "cease all activity" that may disturb them.
"Unauthorized disturbance of human remains and graves is illegal, even on private property," the law states.
Whoever finds the remains should then "immediately notify law enforcement or your district medical examiner of the discovery."
"Leave the bones and nearby items in place. Do not disturb the scene. Moving or removing items can destroy valuable forensic or archaeological data that are vital to understanding the nature of the human remains," the law states.
Last year, construction workers at a site in Flagler County, northeastern Florida, had to halt operations after finding human remains, FOX 13 reported. Anthropologists subsequently arrived at the site, finding more bones, including fragments of a skull and jaw.
And just last month, the skeletal remains of up to five people were discovered at a construction site in Dublin, Ireland, the Irish Mirror reported.
In this case, it appears that the remains are historic in nature and not related to an ongoing police investigation.
The age of the remains is still unknown but they appear to be ancient. Animal bones were also found alongside the human ones.
Experts believe that the location where the bones were found used to be a historic burial site.
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