- Family's Easter egg hunt in Long Beach park uncovered possible child’s human remains
- Police and medical examiners launched an investigation at DeForest Park following the discovery
- No confirmation yet if the remains are human, with identification expected to take weeks
An innocuous and fun Easter egg hunt for a family turned into a grim experience for a California family after they discovered what is being described as possible human remains, belonging to a small child, in a park. The Long Beach Police Department officers responded to a call made by a family in the evening on Sunday (Apr 5) after some of the members came across a skull and other bones in DeForest Park. An investigation has been launched by the authorities, with the Los Angeles County medical examiner's office also responding to the scene.
The human remains were discovered in the middle of the family's holiday tradition as children scoured the park for Easter eggs. Authorities had no further details on how the discovery was made or on the possible remains themselves, including how long they had been at the park.
"Every investigation is unique. The process typically begins with confirming whether the remains are human, which to my knowledge has not yet been determined by the Medical Examiner in this incident. There is no fixed timeline," Lt. Benjamin Vargas was quoted as saying by the Los Angeles Times.
A camera shot of the scene taken by US media outlets showed what looked like a skull protruding from the ground and surrounded by brightly coloured plastic Easter eggs.
"At first we saw the family there, doing like an Easter egg hunt, but they were freaking out a little bit," said Marc Zaldana, a witness, told KCBS. "I can only imagine."
According to a Monday (Apr 6) update, Long Beach police are awaiting forensic anthropology findings from the medical examiner's office, with no further information available at this time.
If confirmed as human, the medical examiner's office may take up to three weeks to establish identification via dental records, fingerprints, or DNA. However, if the remains are decomposed, skeletal, or do not yield immediate matches, this process can extend to months or even years.
