QUEENS — Skeletal remains discovered on the grounds of LaGuardia Airport on Monday have been confirmed human, according to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.
A maintenance worker discovered the bones at 6:20 p.m. Monday while cutting foliage near the shore of the Riker's Island Channel, outside the fence line, said Al Della Fave, a spokesman for the Port Authority Police Department.
"It was kind of fortunate that the tide was low, because it was right at the tide line," Della Fave said. "When the tide came back up, more than likely that area would have been covered."
Port Authority officers then scoured the grounds with the help of crime scene investigators and found additional remains, Della Fave said.
The Medical Examiner's office removed the bones later that day, and after an analysis on Tuesday verified they were human, a spokeswoman from the office said.
Della Fave said there was no indication of how long the bones were there, and that the Port Authority is working with the NYPD to cross-reference missing persons lists.
