Skeletal remains found on Virginia construction site belong to child from 1800s

June 5 (UPI) -- The skeletal remains of a child, found buried last month in northern Virginia during the construction of a new home, date back more than 100 years, according to the medical examiner.

"Examination revealed that the remains were indeed human and that they date back to the late 1800s to early 1900s," the Augusta County Sheriff's Office announced Friday in a Facebook post.

"The remains appear to be that of a child who passed away over 100 years ago and was buried in a coffin in an unmarked grave."

The medical examiner did not reveal the age of the child or the cause of death.

The human remains were found on May 23 as a contractor dug footers for the new home on Tinkling Springs Road in Fishersville, which is about 100 miles north of Richmond.

The remains were excavated and sent to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Roanoke where they were evaluated by a forensic anthropologist.

While the remains were buried in an unmarked grave, the sheriff's office has determined there was no crime.

"We are of course saddened by this discovery, but thankful that these remains were not connected with any criminal activity."