Crew finds remains while installing hydrant

SACO – A crew digging in the ground to install a new fire hydrant along Route 1 in Saco has uncovered human remains.

Police and an archaeologist were both brought in July 10 for an investigation that lasted most of the day. In the end, the gruesome discovery by workers with Biddeford-Saco Water District did not mark the start of a homicide investigation.

Instead, it turns out the dig site was located on an old uncharted cemetery.

An archaeologist who examined the human skull and nails from the coffin concluded the site could be up to 200 years old. The remains were reburied, and the hydrant will be placed elsewhere.