Investigators inspect bones found in Mission Viejo backyard

Investigators spent much of Tuesday examining bones in the backyard of a Mission Viejo home after the homeowner uncovered them Monday, authorities said.

The homeowner had discovered the bones in a patch of dirt in their home in the 24000 block of Via Madrugada on Monday around noon and had called deputies, said Carrie Braun, spokeswoman for the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.

Investigators were sent to determine whether the bones were that of a human or an animal, she said.

Throughout Monday afternoon and another 10 hours on Tuesday, Braun said a crew of Sheriff’s Department investigators and coroner officials crowded the Mission Viejo yard, collecting and analyzing the bones until Tuesday evening.