A human skeleton was discovered in a disused building on the UC Berkeley campus.
The 'skeletonized' remains were found on Tuesday in a building on the university's Clark Kerr campus which hasn't been used for 'many years,' university police said.
It is not yet clear how long the remains had been there or whether they were of a man or a woman, but officials said more information will be provided after an autopsy.
Police confirmed there are no open reports of missing people from the 'campus community.'
A human skeleton was discovered in Building 21 on the UC Berkeley campus. The graffitied building has been unused for 'many years'
It is not yet clear how long the remains had been there or whether they were of a man or a woman, campus police said
The remains were found inside Building 21 on January 10, and students were notified via an alert three days later, on January 13.
Skeletonization is the final stage of the decomposition of a human body. A number of factors, such as temperature and humidity, will drastically alter how long it takes to reach that stage, but it can take between two weeks and two years from death, according to the Scientific American.
A man who was working in the area at the time of the discovery told KTVU there was a significant police presence in the area.
'We saw a lot of police activity. There was a construction site. They were like demo-ing everything out of this building and all of a sudden just stopped. The next day we saw the coroner come. A lot of police activity,' he said.
The mainly residential campus is made up mostly of student accommodation but is also host to a swimming pool among other sports facilities
A man who was working in the area during the discovery on Tuesday told KTVU there was a significant police presence in the area
He suggested the discovery was not surprising given that homeless people have been known to take shelter in the derelict building, which is currently covered in graffiti.
'It doesn't surprise me that much. There's a lot of homeless activity here, so it was an abandoned building, so figured probably something like that happened,' he added.
The Clark Kerr campus is made up mostly of student accommodation but is also host to a swimming pool among other sports facilities.
The Clark Kerr campus (highlighted in yellow) is a mile south-east of the university's main site
An autopsy will be carried out and more information will be released, officials have said
The residential buildings on the Clark Kerr campus are designed in a 'Spanish mission-style' and offer students access to scenic hiking trails in the Claremont Canyon Regional Preserve.
'We understand that there are many questions and we anticipate that the coroner's report will provide additional information,' police said.
'We do not anticipate this investigation will disrupt resident activities at the Clark Kerr Campus.'
The Alameda County Coroner's Office is investigating.
English (United States) ·