A peculiar discovery was made early Thursday morning, July 25, 2024, in Southeast Fresno, California, when a dog was seen carrying a human skull and dropping it on a sidewalk.
The Fresno Police Department received a call around 7:30 a.m. from a resident living near Nicholas and Florence Avenues. The caller reported the disturbing sight of a dog carrying what appeared to be a human skull.
Officers who responded searched the vicinity and discovered a decomposed body in a shed roughly a block away, according to reports.
Upon arriving at the scene, officers discovered that the remains belonged to an adult male. The body and skull were both in advanced stages of decomposition, making identification challenging. The skull had been carried approximately 12 houses away from the body by the dog, raising questions about how long the remains had been there and under what circumstances.
The skull’s condition suggested it had been exposed to the elements for some time, complicating efforts to determine the timeline of death.
At this time, police do not suspect foul play in the man’s death. The case is currently under active investigation, with detectives waiting for the coroner’s office to determine the cause of death. The coroner’s examination is expected to provide crucial information regarding the identity of the deceased and how he died.
The discovery of human remains by pets is not unprecedented. In February 2024, a resident in St. Johns County, Florida, encountered a similar situation when their dog began bringing large bones from the woods behind their home over several days.
Upon further investigation, the resident discovered a human skull and other skeletal remains. The St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that these bones were human, but the identity of the deceased and the possibility of foul play remain undetermined.