The grisly finding drew State Police crime scene technicians and detectives to the scene, who scoured the area and recovered a skeleton later in the evening near the spot where the skull was located, authorities said.

National Grid employees discovered the skull at 11 a.m. on the utility's property on Rover Street, according to Middlesex District Attorney Marian T. Ryan's office, which is calling the death "suspicious."

Law enforcement officials found the remains of a female on National Grid property in Everett on Thursday, after workers for the utility had discovered a skull at the site earlier in the day.

Meghan Kelly, a spokesman for Ryan, confirmed late Thursday in a phone interview that investigators found "what we believe ... is the rest of the body" in the evening. She said officials "believe [the body] to be a female," but she had no word on whether the remains belonged to an adult or minor.

"It appears to be a suspicious death, based on preliminary evidence," Kelly said, citing the condition and location of the remains.


Earlier Thursday night, Ryan's office had said a forensic specialist determined the skull was likely exposed to the elements for at least a year. Kelly said she believed the skeleton had been found under gravel, but she did not have details.

The state Office of the Chief Medical Examiner will conduct further testing on the remains, Ryan's office said.

State and Everett police referred questions to Ryan's office.

The Rover Street property is the site of a National Grid solar power project that includes 2,132 solar panels spanning more than 2 and 1/2 acres of land, according to a company website.

A National Grid spokeswoman declined to comment, citing the law enforcement probe. It was not clear where on the property the worker found the skull, or what the employee was doing at the time.


"This is an open and active investigation," Ryan's office said in a statement.

Globe correspondent Samantha Gross contributed to this report. Travis Andersen can be reached at travis.andersen@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @TAGlobe.