Officials were notified Thursday morning of the discovery of possible human remains in a fire pit on Fiesta Island prompting a homicide investigation, San Diego Police said.
The remains were found at around 10:30 a.m. by a man who was walking on the east end of Fiesta Island, SDPD Lt. Matt Dobbs said.
SDPD officers took pictures of the remains and sent them to a forensic anthropologist "Who believed they were possibly human, based on the image," Dobbs said.
Dan Conklin, the man who found the remains, is sure they're human.
"The body was completely burned up. The skull was in tact. It had the teeth in it," Conklin said.
Conklin said he was looking for a place to cook hot dogs when he saw the pit, which was surrounded by trash. He started picking up the garbage and eventually got close enough to peek inside the still smoldering pit.
"There was nobody there. It was quiet, the water was calm. It was a perfect setting till I saw that," he said.
All around the pit, Conklin found beer cans, wine bottles, a golf club, shoes, clothes and pills in a plastic days of the week container. He also saw tire tracks and a bunch of foot prints -- evidence of a large party, according to Conklin.
"Somebody was there with him and something went really wrong," he said.
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Just days before Halloween, a story like this could send one's imagination running wild. At the very least, it cost Conklin a day of rest and possibly a good night's sleep, but he does feel better knowing his discovery could help solve a crime or give a family closure.
SDPD' Homicide Unit is investigating along with the San Diego Metro Arson Strike Team (MAST). The San Diego County Medical Examiner’s Office will try and determine if the remains are human.
Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to call the Homicide Unit at (619) 531-2293 or Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477
No other information was available.
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