Native American Skull Found at Roadwork Site

An investigator for the Orange County coroner’s office confirmed Wednesday that a portion of human skull found this week at the site of the MacArthur Boulevard widening is that of an ancient Native American.

“We only have the very top of the head,” said Judy Suchey, a forensic anthropologist who examined the skull portion for the coroner’s office. “It was a young adult, and that’s all we can say.”

Construction work at the site, a 100-square-foot stretch of the 1.5-mile project, was halted on Monday after bulldozers uncovered the skull fragment.

On Wednesday, the work continued in other nearby areas to keep the $5.6-million project on track.

“This is a very, very small portion of the project,” Don Webb, public works director for Newport Beach, said of the area where the remains were discovered. “This will not delay us.”

The project, which will widen MacArthur Boulevard from Coast Highway to just north of San Joaquin Hills Road, is expected to be completed next May.

Representatives of the state Native American Heritage Commission were trying to contact representatives of the local Gabrielino and Juaneno tribes, which will then have 24 hours to make a recommendation regarding the disposition of the remains.

“They can request that they be removed and reburied, or that they be left where they are,” said Gail McNulty, one of the commission’s program analysts.

Spokesmen for the two Native American tribes could not be reached for comment.

Suchey said that while the bone has not yet been fully analyzed, it is not unlike others found recently in Newport Beach.

“There have been many such finds in the past several years because of the construction in the area,” she said. “The area was densely settled by Native Americans.”