Human remains were found at a construction site in Chatham County on Sunday, law enforcement say.
Chatham County Police Department (CCPD) officers and detectives were dispatched to the East President Street and Wahlstrom Road area in response to a report that human remains were visible at a construction site.
Officers and detectives determined the remains were not part of a crime scene, rather most likely of a historical or an archeological nature.
The Chatham County Coroner was called to the site and took possession of the remains, according to CCPD. The Coroner’s Office will determine whether or not the remains should be treated as a criminal case.
Construction has stopped pending a determination as to the nature of the remains, CCPD said, and
the State of Georgia’s archaeologists were notified.
Behind the Waffle House off of East President Street and Wahlstrom Road is the site of a 19th-century Black cemetery. The 3.85 acres that make up LePageVille Memorial Cemetery is what’s left of a former community that contained 50 homes and a church, according to its website.
Previous Savannah Morning News coverage reported that there are thought to be 500 people buried at the site, including a woman born into enslavement. No original burial markers remain, and a memorial arch was placed in 2007.
It is currently unknown if the human remains recently found by the construction crew are apart of the LePageVille Memorial Cemetery.
Ansley Franco is a reporter with the Savannah Morning News, covering public safety and general assignments. You can reach her at AFranco@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Human remains found at Chatham County construction site
