‘Skeletonized’ human remains were found on UC Berkeley’s campus

A young male student walks past Sather Tower (aka the Campanile) and other campus buildings on a sunny day on the main campus of UC Berkeley in downtown Berkeley, California, May 21, 2018. (Photo by Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images)

(CNN) — The University of California Police Department has opened an investigation after a human skeleton was found on the UC Berkeley campus, officials say.

UC Berkeley police were alerted to the skeleton Tuesday, according to a statement shared with CNN. The “skeletonized” human remains were found “in a building which has not been occupied for many years” on the school’s Clark Kerr Campus, about a mile from the main campus.

“It is not clear how many years they have been there,” police said in the statement. “There are no outstanding cases of missing individuals from the campus community.”

The Alameda County Coroner’s Office has also opened an investigation into the remains, according to the statement. The cause of death has not yet been determined.

“We understand that there are many questions and we anticipate that the coroner’s report will provide additional information,” said police. “We do not anticipate this investigation will disrupt resident activities at the Clark Kerr Campus.”

The University of California, Berkeley enrolled 30,853 undergraduates and 11,666 graduate students as of fall 2018, according to its website. The university describes its Clark Kerr residential hall complex as “a mini-neighborhood with Spanish mission-style architecture, tree-lined courtyards and access to nature and hiking trails.”