Dogs found playing with human skull as man was leaving for work, Alabama officials say

A man found his dogs playing with a human skull in his yard as he was leaving for work, according to Alabama officials.

The man, who lives in a neighborhood in western Birmingham, called police just after 10 a.m. on Sept. 23 when he found his dogs playing with the skull, according to a statement from Chief Deputy Coroner Bill Yates of the Jefferson County Coroner’s Office.

The Birmingham Police Department responded to investigate. The man told detectives that his dogs often roam a large wooded area near his house.

Authorities do not know where the dogs first found the skull. No other remains have been discovered.

The skull was “significantly weathered,” Yates said, and the person likely died years before it was found.

This story was originally published September 26, 2022 at 1:53 PM with the headline "Dogs found playing with human skull as man was leaving for work, Alabama officials say."