Discovery of remains halts Riverton renovations

Construction of a built-in pool in a charming section of Riverton came to a "screaming" stop when a worker discovered a human skull Monday afternoon.

Tuesday, the normally quiet riverfront neighborhood with turn-of-the century mansions was transformed into a crime scene with police, detectives, and an anthropologist studying what appeared to be particularly old remains.

How old? Joel Bewley, spokesman for the Burlington County Prosecutor's Office, could only say "very" old until experts do a thorough analysis to determine the age, gender, identity, and cause of death, and how the skeletal remains got to the spot about six feet deep in the 600 block of Bank Avenue. No coffin or clothing were found.

Although crime scene tape hung from the towering trees that shade a mix of newer and older homes, and a crime scene truck stood by, this might not be a crime scene at all, authorities agreed.

In the early 1800s, the land was being farmed, houses were few, and servants and fishermen were part of the landscape. Monday's discovery, close to Halloween, added to the area's folklore, as conflicting stories were repeated down the grassy lane less than 24 hours after the find.

A pool digger was hacking at the perimeter of the already excavated 20- by 40-foot pool when his shovel met resistance, said David Curzie, an interior painter and a friend of the Zimmermanns, who said he was working when the skull emerged.

"He hit what he thought was a rock and out comes the head," Curzie said. "Then he went screaming out of the hole."

Randy Budd, owner of Budd Pools in Deptford, was not there, but had a different version of events. Workers had finished working on the deep end of the pool and were preparing to install steel supports before concrete could be poured, he said.

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Discovery of remains halts Riverton renovations