Police have confirmed they have found human remains buried near a cemetery in Newport, but they are no longer carrying out a criminal investigation. Officers arrived at St Woolos cemetery in Bassaleg Road in the afternoon of Thursday, September 29, after fragments of bones were found on a patch of grass which wasn’t a designated burial area.
Police believed the bones to be human and quickly began working with the Ministry of Justice and Newport City Council to determine what the bones were and why they were there. But, following forensic examination of the bones the force said that while they were human, they would not be investigating further.
The family of the person involved is being supported by specially trained officers. The force said it understood the sensitivity around the investigation and thanked those with loved ones buried nearby the dig for their understanding. You can get more Newport news and other story updates straight to your inbox by subscribing to our newsletters here.
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Superintendent Vicki Townsend, who led the operation, said: “While the results confirm the bones as human remains, we can confirm that this is no longer a criminal investigation. Officers have spoken to the next of kin who are receiving support from specialist officers. I understand that those with loved ones buried at the cemetery or residents living nearby may have had concerns about our presence at the site and the nature of our enquiries. I’d like to thank the communities in Newport for their support and understanding during this operation. We will be handing any further investigation at the cemetery over to Newport City Council.”
Spanning 14 acres, St Woolos is the main cemetery in the city. It isn’t the first dig following an unusual find this year. An 11-day investigation which began in April at Christchurch Cemetery in Newport resulted in nothing being found. You can read more of the latest news from Newport here.
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