Human remains of a 'young adult', dating back to several years were unearthed near the California mansion of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. The bones were found during a landscaping from the street located yards away from the couple's residence.
The couple, who moved in their new home last year, share their neighborhood with Oprah Winfrey and Ellen DeGeneres.
Does the Remains Belong to Chumash Tribe Member?
Though it hasn't been confirmed it is believed that the remains belonged to a person from the Chumash people, who were native of the area around 11,000 years ago.
Quoting a spokeswoman of the Santa Barbara Sheriff's office, Daily Mail reported that the origin of the bones, which were found on May 24 during landscaping construction, is being investigated by a forensic anthropologist.
Speaking about the human remains the spokeswoman said that they appeared to be that of a 'young adult' and were 'very old,' and may be Native American in origin dating back centuries. The bones were found buried three feet deep in the street.
While the work has been halted at the site, the outlet reported that the Sheriff's office was in talks with the local Native American commission to finalize the next steps after the forensic results. "Until we have an official opinion from the forensic anthropologist we're not going to be saying one way or the other," the spokeswoman was quoted.
Troubled History of Prince Harry and Meghan's Mansion
The mansion, which was purchased by the royal couple from Russian businessman Sergey Grishin in June 2020, has remained in news ever since.
The outlet reported that Grishin, who originally purchased the property for more than $25 million in 2009, was trying to sell it at $34 million for several years before parting with it at a loss. It is also speculated that the maintenance of the property including mortgage payments, staff salaries, taxes, utilities and security cost is likely to be $4.4 million annually.
TMZ had reported about an intruder breaching the security and entering the property twice during Christmas holiday. Identified as Nickolas Brooks, the 37-year-old was let off with a warning when he caught trespassing the couple's property. However, when he repeated the act on December 26, he was arrested and charged with one count of misdemeanor trespassing.
