A Grisly Trail: Human Skulls, A Body And Remains Found Along Stretch Of Bay Area Coast

MONTEREY COUNTY, CA — For the third time in little more than a month, human remains have been discovered in a remote stretch of the Carmel Valley, the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office announced this week.

It remains unclear if the gruesome discoveries are connected.

The Monterey County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the latest discovery — a man's body found Wednesday in an agricultural field north of Highway 183 at McFadden Road in unincorporated area of Salinas, KRON4 reported.

This latest grisly discovery comes less than a week after the last remains were found nearby and a month after the first set of human remains was found in the area.

On the evening of January 29, people walking in a rural section of Cachagua Road discovered what appeared to be a human skull and other skeletal remains, police said. Sheriff's deputies said they arrived around 6:45 p.m. and confirmed the finding, securing the site for the Sheriff’s Coroner Division.

Over several days, investigators worked the scene, locating and collecting additional remains.

On December 29, 2025, a land surveyor reported finding a human skull in the area of Viejo Road, police said.

The coroner’s office collected additional remains from that scene, and the process of identifying those remains through DNA analysis is also ongoing, officials said.

The remains will undergo a forensic examination, including DNA testing, to help determine the persons' identities, police said. This information will be checked against records of missing and unidentified persons kept by the California Department of Justice.

The findings are part of active investigations, and police said that no further details are available at this time.