Human skull and bones wash ashore in Palos Verdes Estates, investigation underway

Days after a human skull and bones washed ashore on a beach in Palos Verdes Estates, authorities are still trying to identify the decedent and the cause of death, officials said.

A passerby found the skull and a bone in the low-tide shoreline at Rat Beach in the 300 block of Paseo Del Mar sometime around 3 p.m. on Saturday, the Palos Verdes Estates Police Department announced in a news release. When police arrived on scene, they found more bones in the area and the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s office was called to assist in the investigation.

The Medical Examiner’s office confirmed the bones were human but have not determined the identity of the person or cause of death, according to acting Cpt. Aaron Belda with the Palos Verdes Estates police. There is no additional information regarding the discovery, but Belda added there is no threat to the general public.

Officials are not ruling out homicide, but the investigation is ongoing.

“The course of the investigation could change depending on the coroner’s report,” Belda said Thursday.