Human remains unearthed beneath SF dry-cleaning business

Flashing Lights on Police Car Flashing Lights on Police Car Photo: Jacom Stephens / Getty Images Photo: Jacom Stephens / Getty Images Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Human remains unearthed beneath SF dry-cleaning business 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

Human skeletal remains were unearthed beneath a dry-cleaning business in San Francisco’s Lower Pacific Heights neighborhood, authorities said Monday.

Investigators are poring over missing-person reports and cold-case homicides to see if any fit the circumstances, police said. The county coroner’s office will try to analyze any DNA obtained from the remains.

The skull and bones were found Friday afternoon when a contractor came to fix a plumbing issue at Perfect Cleaners on the 1900 block of Fillmore Street, a neighborhood filled with trendy, upscale shops and restaurants. As the contractor was digging, the bones were exhumed.

“It’s a mystery,” said Officer Albie Esparza, a police spokesman. “Anytime human remains are found, it’s a puzzle. We have to work backward to figure out who the person is.”

The coroner’s office declined to comment on whether the bones were those of an adult or a child, or what gender the person was.

The last human remains discovered in San Francisco were found in November by a woman gardening outside a home on the 1300 block of McAllister Street near Alamo Square. Those remains belonged to a child between 8 and 14 years old and one other person, officials said.

Anyone with information can contact Sgt. Kyra Delaney at (415) 553-1146. Anonymous tips can be left at (415) 575-4444 or texted to TIP411 with “SFPD” at the beginning.