(STURGIS) – The skeletal remains found south of Sturgis have been in the ground for a long time.

That is the preliminary finding of Caroline Isaac, a forensic anthropologist with the Kalamazoo County Medical Examiner's Office. Isaac and her colleagues came to Sturgis Tuesday morning when skeletal remains were found on the property just south of Burr Oak Tool on South Nottawa.

More remains were found Wednesday morning, and Isaac was back to collect them for examination. During a Wednesday afternoon press conference at Sturgis City Hall, Isaac shares what a preliminary examination of the bones revealed to her. LINKC.

Isaac says the remains that were found indicate they belonged to more that one person. LINKD.

Also found was a piece of hardware, which looks like it could be the handle of a coffin. Isaac says it will also be examined and tested.

Isaac says more remains will likely be found as work continues on the pond at Burr Oak Tool. She says they will continue to examine what has been found and any that may yet be discovered. They will Carbon 14 test the remains and try to put them together to determine exactly how many individuals are there.