Human remains were discovered Thursday afternoon near the eastbound lanes of the 10 Freeway in Yucaipa, turning a routine workday into something far more unsettling. A Caltrans employee reported finding heavily decomposed remains near Live Oak Canyon just after noon, prompting a multi-agency response. Deputies from the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department and Cal Fire responded to the scene, and the county Coroner's Division has taken custody of the remains. Authorities say the remains are male, but officials have not yet said whether the decedent was an adult or a child.
According to CBS Los Angeles, the California Highway Patrol logged the discovery at about 12:24 p.m. Thursday. The outlet reports that investigators will now work to confirm the person's identity and determine a cause of death as the coroner proceeds with examinations.
Discovery During Routine Highway Work
Caltrans crews are out along the freeways every day, and every so often they stumble onto something far more serious than a stray tire. Earlier this year a Caltrans maintenance crew located human remains in a drainage culvert at the Date Palm Drive overpass on the I-10 in Cathedral City, according to KESQ. In that case a debit card found with the remains provided investigators a tentative lead while the Riverside County coroner worked to identify the person.
A Pattern Along the 10 Freeway
Finds like the one in Yucaipa are not unheard of along the I-10. Caltrans workers discovered bones near the eastbound on-ramp at Indian Hill Boulevard in Claremont in 2016, as reported by the Los Angeles Times. Regional outlets and sheriff's briefings have documented several separate recoveries across the Inland Empire this year, with detectives and coroners using DNA, autopsies and missing-person checks to try to identify decedents, per Patch.
What Investigators Say
The Coroner's Division has taken responsibility for the Yucaipa scene and will continue forensic testing while detectives follow leads, officials said. No arrests or other details about the circumstances have been released so far. CBS Los Angeles reported that the investigation is ongoing and that authorities are asking anyone with information to contact the Sheriff's Department.
