A nearly complete human skeleton, believed to be at least 100 years old, was recently discovered in a coffin on the shores of the Chesapeake Bay. The remarkable find was made by George Oliver, a resident of Calvert County, Maryland, who was walking the shores in search of fossils on November 4.
Upon discovering the coffin submerged in water during the bay’s low tide, Oliver contacted the local sheriff’s department, who then alerted the archaeological society. Despite the experts examining the remains, they did not remove any from the site. Concerned about the fate of the remains if left alone, Oliver took it upon himself to carefully extract the skeleton and dig up the coffin. He also pieced the coffin back together.
Kelcey Ward, a crime scene technician with the Calvert County Sheriff’s Office, told WRC that while it is not unusual to find human remains hundreds of years old, an entire skeleton is rare. She also noted an unusual defect in the skull, which in a more recent case might suggest a gunshot wound or blunt force trauma.
The origin of the coffin remains a mystery. Based on its construction and the condition of the bones, the remains are estimated to be at least a century old. The bones and the coffin will be reinterred at a local church cemetery. This discovery marks Oliver’s second find of human remains, having found a leg bone near the same location about 15 years ago.
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