Human skeletal remains found just off trail in Joshua Tree National Park

Human skeletal remains have been discovered just off of a trail in Joshua Tree National Park, police say.

The grisly discovery happened last Thursday at approximately 12:08 p.m. when the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office received a call after somebody discovered human skeletal remains in Twentynine Palms, a region on the northern side of the park some 90 miles east of San Bernardino, California, according to police.

“Federal Park Rangers were alerted to the discovery by researchers and requested the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office and the Riverside County Coroner’s Bureau to respond,” according to a statement from the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office detailing the incident. “The Coroner’s Bureau arrived at the scene and assumed the investigation.”

The identity and the cause of death of the deceased is currently unknown and authorities did not say how long they thought the remains could have been in the area for.

One of California's most popular outdoor tourist destinations, Joshua Tree National Park is open 24 hours a day year round, covers more than 1,200 square miles and has over 3 million visitors each year.

An investigation into this case is currently ongoing and the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office is asking anyone with any additional information to contact Palm Desert Sheriff’s Station (760) 836–1600 or call anonymously at (760) 341-STOP (7867) and reference incident # O240250071.