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Human remains found by construction workers near South Carolina middle school

Construction workers found human remains Tuesday off Highway 557 near Oak Ridge Middle School in Clover, SC.
Construction workers found human remains Tuesday off Highway 557 near Oak Ridge Middle School in Clover, SC. Getty Images/iStockphoto

Human remains were found Tuesday off Highway 557 near Clover, SC, according to Trent Faris, York County Sheriff’s Office Deputy and Public Information Officer.

The York County Sheriff’s Office received a phone call Tuesday at 2:30 p.m. that construction workers had found skeletal remains while clearing the side of Ridge Road near Oakridge Middle School in Lake Wylie. The remains were found with bits of torn-up clothes, Faris said.

The sheriff’s office could not identify whether the remains were male or female due to deterioration, and there was no wallet or photo ID to suggest their identity.

The remains are being sent to a forensic anthropologist in Columbia to identify sex, time of death, cause of death and other details, Faris said.

Initial estimates indicate the person died between one and two years ago.

“We don’t believe there’s any danger to the public,” Faris said. “If there was any foul play, we don’t think it’s a danger to the public at the moment.”

Faris estimated it would take the forensic anthropologist a couple of weeks to get updates back to the sheriff’s office.

This story was originally published August 14, 2024 at 11:29 AM.

Cooper Metts
The Charlotte Observer
Cooper Metts is a business reporting intern this summer through UNC Chapel Hill’s MS Van Hecke award. He graduated from UNC Chapel Hill in May and reported on economic development and business for The Chatham News + Record and Business NC.
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