Human remains were found during a search of the camp in Jose Rizal Park

SEATTLE – On Friday morning, emergency crews discovered human remains during a government-ordered encampment clearance near Seattle's northern Beacon Hill. The location is located in Jose Rizal Park near the I-5/I-90 intersection.

“This is one person, so we remember that,” said Christ Loftis, communications director for the Washington State Patrol. “We have to treat them with respect.”

Very little is known about the circumstances of the remains. The sex and cause of death of the individuals are not yet known, at least not until the coroner completes his report.

“Until it's a little more mature, we won't be able to share much more than just that we found these human remains,” Loftis said.

Loftis told FOX 13 that the remains were discovered during a camp clearance, which is essentially a cleanup operation.

Beacon Hill camp site

“We had crews with WSDOT,” Loftis said. “They smelled something, a strong smell, and we all know that smell, the smell of loss, the smell of death.”

Unfortunately, this is not the first time human remains have been found during outreach and cleanup efforts.

“It’s twisted. It’s sick,” said Timothy Emerson of We Heart Seattle.

Although he was not involved in Friday's discovery or cleanup, he is familiar with Joze Rizal Park and the issues surrounding it.

“We need better solutions to all this uncontrolled camping,” he said.

We Heart Seattle also found numerous items during the cleanup.

“We found skeletal remains, tools and more,” he said.

As for Friday's remains, investigators like Timothy want to give the person, whoever they are, the dignity they deserve.

“I hope we can find the family, give them some closure and figure out what happened here,” Emerson said.

“We will do our best to find out what happened to this person,” Loftis said. “We will find out who this person was, what their story was, how their story ended and if anyone was involved in criminal activity and caused their death, we will do our best to catch this person and bring them.” to bring to trial.

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