CARLISLE, Ohio -- Skeletal remains found in a search at a Carlisle home are believed to be a stillborn baby, officials said Friday evening.
A Warren County coroner's investigation was underway for several hours behind a house at 104 Eagle Ridge Drive. With Warren County Coroner Russell Uptegrove on the scene, authorities dug behind a thick tree line while other investigators carrying cameras were seen inside the garage.
Jeff Oaks, who lives nearby, said the sudden appearance of so many uniforms in his neighborhood was a shock -- a dark disturbance on a street he described as the "jewel" of his small community.
"You see the guy on TV that’s interviewed by somebody, and they say, 'Oh, it never happens in my town,'" he said. "Well, hey, that’s this. This moment."
Oaks said police officers dug for hours before returning from the investigation. As they emerged from the trees, they carried something in a white bag.
"It was sombering," Oaks said.
Lieutenant John Faine said the remains they found were evidently those of a stillborn baby, which he estimated had been interred around four months earlier. The unidentified remains were then taken to the Miami Valley Regional Crime Lab for analysis, according to the Warren County Sheriff's Office.
Several police agencies are at this home on Eagle Ridge Drive. Investigators are digging the backyard @WCPO pic.twitter.com/5yqhk1BK2F
— Ashley Zilka (@ashleyzilka) July 14, 2017
The house behind which the remains were discovered is the home of a couple and their two children, according to neighbor Paul Anderson. He, too, was shocked to learn that a human body had been buried in his neighborhood.
"Our prayers certainly go out for the family and anyone involved in this at all,” Oaks said.
Faine said Warren County authorities would continue to investigate the circumstances behind the body's burial.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Warren County Sheriff's Office at (513) 695-1280.
