Tourists speak about 'human' bone find as police investigation continues
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The German tourists who found what they believed could be a human leg bone on Dunnet beach last week have talked to the Caithness Courier, sister paper of the Northern Times, about their grim discovery.
On Thursday, August 31, a member of the Caithness Beach Cleans eco group spoke with Martin Gauer and Theresa Cremerius when they asked for advice on what to do after finding the bone resting between rocks at low tide.
"My fiancé and I were wandering the beach and I was collecting seashells with a little metal shovel as I discovered the bone between two rocks in the sand – when there was low tide and the stones were reachable," said Martin.
"We called 999 after talking to an older man who collected trash at the beach and asking him what we should do.
"I then placed the bone at a nearby wooden shield with coordinates for the police to find. I also told them where to find us this night. So they actually came into our hotel room later that day and got our witness reports."
Related article:
Police investigate possible human leg bone found on Dunnet beach
Last week a Police Scotland spokesperson said: “On Thursday, 31 August, 2023, officers were made aware that a bone had been discovered on Castletown beach, Thurso. Examinations are being carried out and enquiries are ongoing."
Many skeletal remains have been washed up on the beach before including large marine mammals and there is evidence of human occupation in the area dating back thousands of years. Human bones have been discovered in the dunes and around the coast at Murkle which have been ascertained to be of Neolithic, Norse and medieval origin.
Martin added: "The bone looked pretty old, but researching how fast a bone would corrode away seems to point out that it can't be that old. It was pretty brittle though, as one little piece fell apart from it and was washed away by the water."
Theresa said she was sitting on a stone enjoying the weather while Martin was collecting seashells for her as souvenirs when he suddenly shouted "I think I found a human bone". A bit confused what he actually meant she started walking towards him. "And, in fact, it looked like a human bone, as we compared thigh bone pictures on Google."
The couple didn't wanted to touch the bone so Martin used a small hand shovel to transport it.
"As we walked to the man who collected trash, I asked him how often one would find human bones on this beach because we weren't sure if that is maybe a thing that often happens here. But then he reassured us that it's pretty rare
"It was quite an exciting find and it kinda made our day there."
Martin and Theresa said they enjoyed their time at Dunnet beach and said it was the first sunny day in a week since travelling from the Isle of Skye. "But it was only one waypoint on our road trip so we left the next day." The couple are currently staying near Derby and are heading back home after a three week camping trip with some BnBs in between.
Police Scotland was asked for an update today and said that "enquiries are continuing".
