Second 18th century body uncovered by super storm as woman finds skull under uprooted tree

  • Bones from a second body found in roots of fallen tree in New Haven, Connecticut
  • Woman discovered centuries-old remains under the oak after it was blown over on Tuesday
  • Investigators say the remains of up to 5,000 people are buried in the surrounding area

By Rachel Quigley

PUBLISHED: 11:55 EST, 2 November 2012 | UPDATED: 12:01 EST, 2 November 2012

A second skeleton 'from colonial times' has been discovered in the roots of a tree ripped up by Superstorm Sandy.

A woman who investigated an oak tree felled by high winds in the hurricane made a grim discovery - a centuries-old collection of bones tangled in the roots.

It has now been revealed that the remains - found in New Haven, Connecticut - are those of two people.

Macabre: Facial bones found at the site in New Haven, Connecticut, show the remains were from at least two people

Macabre: Facial bones found at the site in New Haven, Connecticut, show the remains were from at least two people

Discovery: Police believe the bones are hundreds of years old and that the remains of up to 5,000 people are buried in the surrounding area

Discovery: Police believe the bones are hundreds of years old and that the remains of up to 5,000 people are buried in the surrounding area

The facial bones of the pair were found along with a hand-wrought coffin nail that dated back to the 18th century, according to the New Haven Independent.

 

More...

On Tuesday afternoon, local woman Katie Carbo was looking at the upturned tree and was stunned to find a skull with its mouth hanging open. When she called police, they said it had likely been there since colonial times.

New Haven Police spokesman David Hartman told the New Haven Independent the tree was planted on Upper Green in 1909 on the 100th anniversary of President Abraham Lincoln's birth.

He said the remains likely belong to one of thousands of people buried in the area. The remains will be evaluated by the state medical examiner.

CSI: Forensic officers cover the site as they investigate

CSI: Forensic officers cover the site to protect it from rain as they investigate

Delicate: Alfredo Camargo, of the state medical examiner¿s office, bags up the bones

Delicate: Alfredo Camargo, of the state medical examiner's office, bags up the bones

A stone marker at the foot of the tree identifies it as the 'Lincoln Oak', planted in 1909 to mark the 100th anniversary of President Abraham Lincoln¿s birth

A stone marker at the foot of the tree identifies it as the 'Lincoln Oak', planted in 1909 to mark the 100th anniversary of President Abraham Lincoln's birth

The remains of an estimated 5,000 people are buried under the green.

Katie Carbo said: 'I noticed what I thought was a rock at first, I kind of poked it and a piece came off in my hand, and I noticed it was bone fragments.'

Investigators currently working to identify the sex, age and cause of death of the two bodies said there are likely to be more.

The nail suggested the bodies were buried some time in the late 1700s, investigators said. The park was a cemetery until 1821.

 
Add your comments

Comments (8)

The comments below have not been moderated.

You only moved the headstones! Why? WHY?!?!?

Click to rate     Rating   3

Report abuse

Poor woman. I'd hate to find something like that! At least the town fathers merely put a park over it. That's bad enough. When building one of our expressways (Central Expressway) decades ago by a graveyard, all graves in the way were supposed to be respectfully disinterred and reburied. When we were redoing that freeway in the 1990s it was discovered that about 1,100 graves had been paved over. Citizens of this city weren't happy. Whatever happened to respect for the deceased?

Click to rate     Rating   15

Report abuse

Interesting indeed.

Click to rate     Rating   8

Report abuse

But the contractor never told anyone the homes were built on an old cemetary! No wonder the family pet has started to talk! (Sorry, I needed to make a Poltergeist joke)

Click to rate     Rating   26

Report abuse

Like Napoleon Dynamite said, "GROSS!" :-D

Click to rate     Rating   4

Report abuse

Big deal. Go to Savannah, GA. The entire city is built on top of piles of bodies buried in mass graves during yellow fever epidemics. They can't dig a foundation for a new building without scooping up a load of old bones. Street repairs are always interesting and many historic district residents have found little "surprises" when they decided to plant gardens in their back yards.

Click to rate     Rating   (0)

Report abuse

Wow! So interesting and intriguing!

Click to rate     Rating   26

Report abuse

Kind of cool, reminds me of the tv show Bones.

Click to rate     Rating   23

Report abuse

The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline.

Add your comment

You have 1000 characters left.
Libellous and abusive comments are not allowed. Please read our House Rules.
For information about privacy and cookies please read our Privacy Policy.
Terms