Workers uprooting a tree in Bluffton make a grisly discovery, Sheriff's Office says

Remains believed to be human were uncovered Wednesday when a tree in Bluffton was being uprooted by workers, according to a Beaufort County Sheriff's Office report.

The remains were found at the Waddell Mariculture Center in Bluffton, the report said. The bones were found near the Colleton River, north of the Victoria Bluff Heritage Preserve, according to the report.

Al Stokes, the center's manager, spoke with an area archaeologist and pathologist about the remains and was told they appeared to be very old human bones, the report said. There is no evidence the bones were involved in a recent death. Based on the location and condition, it's possible they were part of an old burial site, the report said.

Beaufort County coroner Ed Allen is examining the bones, the report said.

The Waddell Mariculture Center is a field experiment station for the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources.

This story was originally published June 21, 2018 at 1:51 PM with the headline "Workers uprooting a tree in Bluffton make a grisly discovery, Sheriff's Office says."