According to the city's police chief, evidence suggests this was not a recent spill.

BARRINGTON – The state medical examiner has confirmed that remains found by a contractor at a construction site on a waterfront property in the Nayatt Point neighborhood of Barrington earlier this week are most likely human bones.

“A visual inspection of the evidence in conjunction with the location of the body suggests that the burial was NOT a recent event,” Barrington Police Chief Michael E. Correia said in a statement Sunday, but he said the investigation was continuing.

When asked how long ago the burial might have occurred, Correia told the Journal, “We don’t know what period the remains date from or what gender they are. The coroner’s office will notify the historical society.”

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The remains were found at 56 Elm Lane. The property, which last sold in March 2023 for $1,365,000, is currently owned by Brian Lurie and Clifton Mathews, according to the city’s online property records.

According to a 2017 Journal article about the property, “The Cape-style home at 56 Elm Lane was built in 1949. The property description states that the 3,500-square-foot home has seven bedrooms, three bathrooms and two powder rooms.”

A neighboring property is embroiled in a legal dispute over public use of a seawall. The owners of that property have put up a chain-link fence and “No Trespassing” signs on their section of the seawall, which they share with the house at 56 Elm Lane where the remains were found Thursday.

In mid-August, a Superior Court judge ruled that the Coastal Resources Management Council was wrong to order the couple to allow the public to use their seawall, calling the council’s reasoning “nonsensical.” The ruling by Associate Justice Kristen E. Rodgers was a victory for Holly and Lance Sheffield, who bought a $4.5 million waterfront home at 85 Nayatt Road in 2021.

According to Correia, the following led to the discovery of the bones:

On Thursday, a local construction contractor contacted Barrington police about possible human bones found at a construction site at 56 Elm Lane.

The initial investigation determined that there may be human skeletal remains. A preliminary review by the Rhode Island Medical Examiner’s Office determined that the evidence was indeed human skeletal remains… The joint investigation continues.

According to the city’s police chief, evidence suggests this was not a recent spill.

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