DETROIT (WWJ) — An investigation is underway after a construction crew found human remains on Detroit’s west side Monday afternoon.
The discovery was made in the backyard of a home on Woodingham Drive, in the area of 7 Mile Rd. and Livernois.
Officials at the scene told WWJ Newsradio 950's Darrylin Horne a construction crew discovered the remains in a shallow grave behind a garage, shortly before 1 p.m. on Jan. 6.
Detroit Deputy Police Chief Franklin Hayes said the body was wrapped in some sort of tarp or bag, and that the remains seem "small in stature."
Hayes said due to the cold temperatures in Detroit, it would take a long time to excavate the body from the ground.
The FBI is helping Detroit police in identifying the remains, which Hayes said would take quite a bit of time.
"Sometimes it can be a lengthy process," Hayes said. "Because if the person wasn't reported missing, then once we identity — if we do in fact have dental records or their DNA in the database — then we would need to identify their family and start working."
"So, I can in no way give you a length of time that this investigation will take. But, (this is) an extremely sad day, and we will exhaust our resources to hold the people accountable for this."
DPD officials said it’s still very early in the investigation and they are asking anyone with information to call the Detroit Police Department’s Major Crimes Unit at 313-596-2260 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-SPEAK-UP.
This is a developing story. Stay tuned to WWJ Newsradio 950 for the latest updates as they become available. >>> LISTEN LIVE!