Nicole’s waves may have unearthed Native American human remains, Florida sheriff says
Nicole’s storm surge has uncovered the remains of multiple people near a Native American burial ground at a Florida beach, according to detectives.
The eye-opening discovery was made Thursday morning on Hutchinson Island, an area where ancient human remains have been found after episodes of beach erosion, the Martin County Sheriff’s Office said Thursday night. The Miami Herald is not naming the beach to protect the archaeological findings.
“We were called today by a group of beachgoers... [who] said they found what they believed were human remains,” said Christine Weiss, a spokeswoman with the sheriff’s office. “When we got there, there were people taking photos and moving things around.”
Weiss said investigators located at least six human skulls that they believe were unearthed by the the storm surge of Nicole, which made landfall Thursday morning in Florida’s east coast as a Category 1 hurricane. The remains found could belong to the Ais, a tribe who occupied the area along the Indian River on the east coast of Florida, Weiss said.
Because it was treated like a crime scene, Weiss said investigators carefully collected the exposed remains and transported them to the medical examiner’s office. Once their investigation is complete, the bones will further examined by the state’s archaeologists.
“We did not dig, but we had to remove what was washing away and exposed,” Weiss said.
The @MartinFLSheriff's Office believes Hurricane Nicole unearthed ancient Native American human remains on Hutchinson Island. @WPBF25News pic.twitter.com/JJUPezrzti
— Steve King WPBF (@WPBF_Steve) November 10, 2022
More human remains could be buried in the area, according to investigators.
“We do not want people over in that area digging around and taking things,” Weiss warned.
Archaeologist Bob Carr, director of the Archaeological and Historical Conservancy in South Florida, told the Herald that hurricanes and the rise of sea level associated with climate change will continue to uncover and destroy historic burial sites.
“The barrier islands are losing their protective dunes as a result of climate change and the unintended consequence is the uncovering of all these prehistoric sites that are buried under the sand,” Carr said.
People who unknowingly may have picked up archaeological artifacts or human remains are encouraged to call the Martin County Sheriff’s Office at 772-220-7000.
