A family in Long Beach, California, discovered a human skull during an Easter egg hunt at a local park on Sunday, police said.
The skull was found in the area of DeForest Park and Wetlands during an event set up for children on Easter Sunday, CBS News reported, citing police. Reports suggested the skull could have been from an infant, according to KTLA5. The skull was reportedly found laying “right out in the open,” Fox11 Los Angeles reported.
“I’m just beside myself because we come here all the time,” local Jessica Flores told NBC4 Los Angeles. “I just live down the street and take my grandson around here. It’s just heartbreaking. I hope they figure out who it is because there’s so much children that come to the park.”
Law enforcement was observed brushing dirt off of the skull and retrieving a mandible, Fox11 reported. The Los Angeles County Department of the Medical Examiner confirmed that a skull and mandible were found together and taken to the forensic science center for additional evaluation.
#BREAKING UPDATE: A human skull was found during an Easter egg hunt at a Long Beach park, police confirmed to Eyewitness News Monday.https://t.co/3dP76L9AOr
— ABC7 Eyewitness News (@ABC7) April 6, 2026
Law enforcement is expected to begin looking at missing persons reports to see if they fit the forensic analysis, according to Fox11. Officials have not determined the age and sex, or how long the remains were in the park.
A similar situation unfolded in Washington State when the skeleton of a former Oregon mayor washed onto shore almost two decades ago. The body of Clarence Edwin “Ed” Asher was found on a Washington beach in 2006 and a genetic testing lab in Texas eventually confirmed that the remains belonged to him, according to a 2026 statement from the genealogy firm Othram. He had gone missing on a fishing trip in 2006 and investigators believed that he had fallen overboard.
The Daily Caller reached out to the Long Beach Police Department for comment but did not receive one as of publication.