MANISTEE -- Construction of the marina in Manistee is continuing as planned after more than a week investigation following the discovery of a human jaw bone and other small bone fragments.
Last week crews used a ground penetrating radar to look beneath the surface of the construction site. The results were reviewed and investigators found several anomalies in the data that warranted additional excavation.
The suspicious spots are mostly at 7 feet deep and are horizontal to the surface.
Friday morning the spots, which conflicted with the construction of the retaining wall at the marina, were investigated.
Using heavy equipment the site was excavated. In the first spot officials discovered a wooden layer of bark similar to what police anticipated finding over the top of a set of human remains. Digging by hand the wood was removed. Beneath that was a deep layer of sand and no bones.
At the second site, crews located an abandoned clay sewer tile at the exact location where anomaly number two was at. At the third site crews located a row of construction debris made up of old bricks and mortar. No bones were discovered.
The area has been returned to the construction crews to continue to excavate at will.
The tribal representatives and city staff are all satisfied that due diligence has been done and there are no remains to be dealt with other than what has already been picked up.
The tribal representative has agreed to take possession of the bones that have been recovered and will rebury them.
