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The call came in to the New York police on Monday: A woman who had lived in Queens in the 1970s had something she needed to get off her chest. As a child, she had witnessed a body being buried in her backyard. It had been decades, but she was sure she knew exactly where it was.

Twenty-four hours later, forensic anthropologists unearthed decaying human bones from the very spot the woman described, behind the Richmond Hill townhouse where she had grown up. For more than 40 years, the remains had rested there undisturbed, buried in a makeshift grave.

The sensational — if grim — discovery is one of the rare moments when the reality of police work all but trumps fictionalized TV true crime tales. The excavation has captivated conspiracy theorists and sent the department into a scramble to try to crack the case, which is being treated as a homicide.

“We’d really like to put a collar on it,” said Patrick Conry, the director of the Police Department’s public information unit.