Crime & Safety

Update: Human Skull Found in Creek Bed

A portion of the Alameda Creek Trail remains closed Thursday morning where the skull was found.

Updated Thursday, Feb. 28, 8:17 p.m.

Authorities continued to search for human remains Thursday after a skull was found along the Alameda Creek Trail in Union City Wednesday afternoon, police said.

A portion of the trail west of Royal Ann Drive was closed for most of the day Thursday as multiple agencies continue to search and dig in the area, Cmdr. Ben Horner told Patch.

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Though few details could be released, a resident told Patch Wednesday that her grandson found what appeared to be a human skull in the creek bed and alerted authorities.

According to Charlotte Hernandez, 72, her grandson and his friend were walking their dog at around 3:30 p.m. along the trail behind Nevada Street. That’s when they saw something in the dirt.

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“It looked like a white boulder in the sand,” Hernandez told Patch.

When her grandson and friend dug it up, they unearthed what appeared to be a human skull. Her grandson brought it home and told Hernandez and her son what he’d found.

“I said, ‘He’s probably lying.’ I went out there and sure enough, it was a skull,” Hernandez said. “Half of it was brown and half of it was sun-bleached white. It had one tooth in it.”

Hernandez’s son quickly called police.

The Alameda County Coroner's Office, Sheriff's Department, Union City Police Department and other agencies responded to the scene, where they remained until late Wednesday night.

The Alameda County coroner's bureau crime lab and sheriff's detectives continued the investigation Thursday.

According to Alameda County Sheriff's Sgt. J.D. Nelson, the bone has been in the creek for at least a year.

Many bones have been found in the area, but are all likely animal bones, he said.

Patch will update this report as more information becomes available.


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