Hikers find human remains near South Yuba Fork Bridge in Nevada City, sheriff says

    NEVADA CITY, California (KCRA) -- A group of hikers were cutting their own trail through rugged terrain near the South Yuba Fork Bridge when they found a human skull, the Nevada County Sheriff's Office said.

Deputies were called to the area on Tuesday afternoon after the three hikers made the discovery and hiked back to the bridge to call 911 on an emergency phone.

Officials said one of the hikers led deputies through their trail to the remains. The deputies confirmed the skull was human and also found more remains.

“It's not unusual to find human remains particularly near the river. Sometimes we don't know if they're washed down from a higher location. So, it doesn't happen every day, but it's not unheard of either,” Nevada County Sheriff's Office Captain Sean Scales. “The river can be extremely dangerous if it's flowing at a high rate. And that's the biggest threat we see out there to folks is the river itself can be really, really dangerous depending on the timing.”

Scales said the remains were visible above the ground.

On Wednesday morning, a group consisting of detectives and members of the Chico State Anthropology Department, California State Parks and the Nevada County Sheriff's Search and Rescue team responded to the area to safely retrieve the remains and find additional evidence.

"Chico’s Anthropology Department can assist in determining gender, race, stature, age and more about our unidentified person," Scales said in a news release.

Officials said they hope to identify the remains after an examination by a forensic anthropologist, review of evidence found at the scene and DNA analysis.

The cause and manner of death remain unclear.

KCRA 3 spoke with locals who frequent the area. They said the area gets busier as it gets warmer, and it's important for people to realize the dangers of the river.

“Not knowing how strong the current is or not knowing that when you jump into the cold water, your body is just not going to keep moving,” Sumner Staurt said.

“I kind of feel because the water is so strong right now, it feels like it's something where maybe someone washed up,” Stella Michaels said. “This time of year, it's quite dangerous.”