Human Remains Found by Tourists May Belong to Lost Historical Burial Site

Newsweek

25-05-2025

Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
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A group of tourists in South Carolina may have stumbled upon a historical burial site after uncovering fossils they soon realized were instead human remains.
The group was exploring the area of Jeremy Cay on Edisto Island on Friday, according to a press release from the Colleton County Sheriff's Office (CCSO).
"The location of the discovery is historically significant, once home to the 19th century settlement known as Edingsville Beach," the sheriff's office said in the release. "Early indications suggest the remains may originate from a long forgotten burial site."
Newsweek has reached out to the CCSO, the Colleton County coroner, as well as the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) via email during non-working hours Sunday for more information.
The Context
Edingsville Beach is a former vacation destination that is now underwater due to erosion. People who visit sometimes find artifacts, according to the Edisto Island website.
"The Lost Village of Edingsville Beach," as it is referred to, sits along the Atlantic coast about 40 miles south of Charleston. It has already been the site of several historical discoveries, including human remains, old building materials, as well as ceramics, the website said.
What To Know
The CCSO says the tourists called authorities after they found "what they initially believed to be fossils."
Multiple agencies responded to the area and determined the remains could be historically significant, according to CCSO.
The county coroner then collected the remains to transport them to MUSC for further forensic testing, in the hopes of identifying and determining the age of those remains.
The area where the remains were found was once-popular vacation destination for local plantation owners that began to fall into disrepair even before the Civil War as wealthy people abandoned their vacation homes and the ocean took hold of them, according to the Edisto Island website.
Many enslaved people also lived on Edisto Island, although it's unclear how many lived in the Edingsville Beach area. At its height, the community had about 60 houses, many churches, a school, and billiard saloon among other outbuildings and boathouses.
While many sharecroppers moved into these vacant dwellings, the rough sea, erosion and devastating hurricanes in 1885 and 1893 eventually made the area uninhabitable and forced the town to be abandoned before the 20th century, the Edisto Island website explained.
This is not the first time remains of historical significance have been found in the area. In 2015, another tourist found bones in the mud and pulled them out before the tide came in. Shortly after, the discovery of a skull with teeth was made by a former ranger at the Edisto Beach State Park.
Both sets of remains were identified, one as a cow skeleton, as dating back to 1865 and 1870, according to the website.
An Indian shell midden at Edisto Beach State Park on Scotts Creek in Edisto Beach, South Carolina, is seen on June 11, 2004.
An Indian shell midden at Edisto Beach State Park on Scotts Creek in Edisto Beach, South Carolina, is seen on June 11, 2004.
AP Photo/The Post and Courier, Sam Roberts
What People Are Saying
The Colleton County Sheriff's Office said in its Friday press release: "At this time, the identity of the individual and the circumstances surrounding their death remain unknown. This is an active investigation, and the CCSO is working closely with the Coroner's Office and other partner agencies to determine more about the remains and their origin."
What Happens Next?
It is unclear how long it will take to complete the forensic analysis of the remains.