SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — San Diego Police say possible human remains were discovered in a Fiesta Island fire pit early Thursday.
Just after 10:30 a.m., a man on the east side of the island flagged down San Diego Lifeguards after making the grim discovery. Officers responded and sent an image to a forensic anthropologist, who confirmed the remains were possibly human.
ABC 10News spoke to the man who made the discovery. Dan Conklin says he was hoping to spend the day on Fiesta Island and was planning to grill some hot dogs when he parked his van near the fire pit. Conklin says he noticed a lot of trash surrounding the pit and some extra wood, so he decided he would stay. When he started cleaning up, he says, he noticed what looked like human remains.
"I kept thinking it was a joke, something to do with Halloween, it had to be a mannequin or a dummy or something that you put on your porch or something," said Conklin.
Conklin says he flagged down a lifeguard in the bay who then called police. Conklin says when he arrived at the pit, it was still smoldering.
No other details surrounding the find were given in order to protect the investigation, police said.
SDPD Homicide Unit officers, the Metro Arson Strike Team, and the county Medical Examiner will determine if the remains are human and the circumstances around their discovery.
Anyone with information is asked to call SDPD's Homicide Unit at 619-531-2293 or Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477.
