Authorities in Southern California are investigating a grave discovery.
A Santa Ana couple who has lived in their home for less than one year says they found human bones -- including a skull -- buried in their yard.
The couple, whose names have not been released, uncovered the bones when they dug into a 2-foot tall raised bank in the yard, according to the OC Register.
"We had somebody bring over a tractor and they just put it underneath and they lifted it and a skull just fell over," one of the homeowners said, according to the Daily Mail.
They contacted police and the Orange County Coroner's office confirmed that the bones belonged to a human. Cpl. Anthony Bertagna, a spokesman for the Santa Ana Police Department, told NBC 4 that an anthropologist was called in for further examination.
Police are questioning the home's former owner, Larry T. Dominguez, Bertagna said.
Dominguez, now 65, had lived in the home for more than 20 years, and in 2006, the house had burned down in an electrical fire. Dominguez was rescued from the blaze by neighbor Renan Disner.
Renan Disner and his wife, Evy, told NBC 4 that they would frequently see strangers living at the home. They also note that Dominguez's father -- from whom Dominguez had inherited the house -- had lived there for some time, but they did not know "if or when" the man had passed away.
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