Bones found at Kristin Smart excavation site; sheriff waiting for analysis

After four days of digging on a hillside at Cal Poly last week, Sheriff Ian Parkinson confirmed Monday that bones were found at the excavation site where authorities had searched for the body of Kristin Smart, the freshman who went missing 20 years ago.

“We found bones,” Parkinson said, but the Sheriff’s Office and FBI won’t know exactly what kind they are until an anthropologist examines them.

“We’re not putting anything out there (for public information) until the anthropologist has a chance to analyze them,” Parkinson said.

Parkinson did not give a timeline on when a determination might be made.

The Los Angeles Times reported Monday that the bones are most likely from an animal, citing “two sources familiar with the investigation, but not authorized to discuss it.”

But the Sheriff’s Office has declined to say what the items may be.

“The remains that were recovered are being analyzed to see if they are animal or human and if they are related to the Kristin Smart case,” Cipolla said in an email Monday.

This story was originally published September 12, 2016 at 6:56 PM with the headline "Bones found at Kristin Smart excavation site; sheriff waiting for analysis."