Skeletal remains recovered from Mount Kembla last week were not buried when they were found, with a visiting worker raising the alarm after he saw an obviously human skull lying in the bush.
A contractor working on the Illawarra Escarpment Mountain Bike Network made the discovery on Wednesday, September 27.
Wollongong Police District's acting inspector Jayson Joerdens said the skeleton was clearly visible.
"We don't know if it's been washed out of its original resting place or not," he said.
"It was fairly intact. They [the contractor] have just come across it while they've been working.
"You could tell it was a [human] skeleton."
The bones were found on Wednesday, September 27, during the early stages of work on the long-awaited network of bike trails that has been hailed a tourism game-changer for the region.
The remains have since been sent away for forensic testing as police work to identify the deceased.
"At this stage there's a couple of lines of inquiry that we're checking out and one of them is missing persons," Insp Joerdens said.
Asked whether the deceased person could have died through sinister or other means, he said: "we're looking at both options, just to make sure we've covered all bases".
The likely age and gender of the deceased are not yet known.
The police operation at Mount Kembla concluded on Friday, but the investigation continues.
Crime Stoppers: 1800 333 000.
Angela Thompson
Proudly Illawarra Mercury since 2008; these days covering crime and justice issues. UOW alum. Thrilled by the chase and sobered by some of the things I see and hear when I stand still - sometimes in the same day. ang.thompson@austcommunitymedia.com.au
Proudly Illawarra Mercury since 2008; these days covering crime and justice issues. UOW alum. Thrilled by the chase and sobered by some of the things I see and hear when I stand still - sometimes in the same day. ang.thompson@austcommunitymedia.com.au
