After bones found in O.C. backyard, sheriff keeps digging

A Mission Viejo resident made a startling discovery while doing yard work Monday: bones lying in the dirt.

Further analysis is necessary to determine the origin and nature of the bones, authorities said. The Orange County Sheriff’s Department is examining the backyard of the home in the 24000 block of Via Madrugada, according to spokeswoman Carrie Braun.

“We’ve had crews out there Monday, yesterday and again this morning excavating the area and gathering everything that they can find,” she said Wednesday.

Braun said she couldn’t say how many bones were found. Orange County coroner’s officials are working to determine whether the skeletal remains are human or animal.

“Obviously, if these are human and not animal, that very much changes the investigation for us,” Braun said.

Although finding bones is not evidence of something nefarious — “we do know that there are people who bury their pets in their backyard, things like that,” Braun said — she added, “This is not a typical occurrence.”