Police investigate bone found on public beach

GULF SHORES, Ala. (WALA) - There are many things that can wash up on the shore of a beach, but this discovery has launched an investigation.

"We get a few of these calls a year. So far, it's always turned out to be an animal of some sort. We actually got three over the course of three days. Two were animals, one was a human bone," said Sgt. Jason Woodruff with Gulf Shores Police.

Woodruff said it seems to be the bone of an upper arm, recovered by a law enforcement official. Woodruff said there's a lot of interest in the find.

"We have in neighboring jurisdictions. There have been some drownings over the last couple of years where the victim was never located. One dates back to 1991," Woodruff said.

Woodruff also said family members of victims have called to get information. The bone is still in possession of the police department but not for long.

"We're dealing with someone in anthropology, and we want them to make a few more measurements for us so they might be able to give us some info to go on," Woodruff said.

Woodruff said the bone will then be sent to the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences and could also possibly be sent to the FBI lab for identification.