A family’s Easter egg hunt in Long Beach came to an abrupt end after they stumbled upon potential human remains in a park on Sunday afternoon, according to the Long Beach Police Department.
Officers responded to a call about potential human remains at DeForest Park around 5 p.m. on Sunday. Due to the nature of the findings, the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner was called into the scene. In an emailed statement, the medical examiner’s office told SFGATE it is investigating the incident and said it has “not yet been determined if the remains are human.”
Long Beach Police Department spokesperson Andrea Moran said officers are waiting for more information from the medical examiner and currently remain on the scene at the park.
“The investigation is ongoing,” Moran said in an emailed statement to SFGATE.
Aerial views from KCAL-TV showed officers carrying yellow police tape in an area with brightly colored eggs. In the same view, what looks to be a round object in the dirt near the eggs is also visible. The outlet reported that a family had been in the middle of the Easter egg hunt when they made the discovery.
The nearly 50-acre park and wetland area is adjacent to the Los Angeles River and includes a playground, pickleball courts and community center. Most of the park is classified as the DeForest Nature Trail and can also be used for flood mitigation, holding floodwaters until the Los Angeles River can accommodate additional flows.