Human remains being examined after exhumation from beach

A human skeleton has been taken to the medical examiner's office after it was removed from a shallow grave in the sand dunes of the 3800 block of North Ocean Shore Boulevard (A1A).

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement said the ME's office will try to determine the sex, age and cause of death.

It's unclear how long that will take.

The remains were initially discovered by workers cleaning up the beach following the passage of Hurricane Matthew, the FDLE reported. Workers saw bones sticking out from the exposed sand dunes and notified law enforcement Monday.

Had Hurricane Matthew not eroded the sand dunes to the extent it did, the bones may never have been found.

Anyone with information about this discovery can contact the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office at (386) 313-4911. Callers can also remain anonymous and be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000 by calling Crime Stoppers of Northeast Florida at (888) 277-8477 (TIPS).