Authorities say they are still trying to identify the person whose bones were found along a popular stretch of the Long Beach shoreline more than two weeks ago.
With no luck so far, they’ve submitted a DNA sample from the bones to a national registry of missing people.
Police and the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner have been investigating since the morning of April 18, when a 911 caller reported finding “what they believed to be human remains located in the sand” near the Junipero Beach parking lot, according to Long Beach police.
Crews from the Department of Medical Examiner eventually found “partial human remains” after searching an area of sand near lifeguard tower 3 on April 18 and 19.
The “partial human remains” amounted to bones that weighed a total of 4 pounds and measured 27 inches long, said Kelly Vail, a spokesperson for the department.
The bones belong to a person who appeared to be over 40 years old at the time of death, Vail said.
No determination has been made regarding the cause of death, Vail said. It remains unclear when the person died or how their remains got to Junipero Beach.
Medical Examiner staff also did not have an estimate of how long the bones were on the beach before they were found, Vail said.
Police declined to say if they suspected foul play.
During the April 18 search, homicide detectives and Medical Examiner crews were spotted searching a small section of sand taped off near lifeguard tower 3. At one point, homicide detectives examined an open cardboard box in the middle of the red tape.
Medical Examiner staff submitted a DNA sample from the remains to the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System, which helps investigators match long-term missing persons with unidentified remains, according to the program’s website.
The U.S. Department of Justice program provides free DNA collection kits to families of missing persons.