Human remains found near Red River are 'historic,' police say

Human remains found in East Selkirk, Man., on the weekend are "historic" and not being investigated as a police matter, RCMP said on Monday.

The term "historic" is normally reserved for casesinvolving remains that are 50or more years old.

"TheRCMP'sinvestigation is now concluded and has been turned over to the Historic Resources Branch of the Province of Manitoba," police wrote in a news release.

Human remains were found on the riverbank near the junction of Highway 212 (Ferry Road) and Highway 204 on Saturday afternoon.

• Human remains found near Red River in EastSelkirk

The provincial government's Historic Resources Branch investigates human remains that have been found outside a recognized cemetery when police have ruled out forensic concerns.

Archeologistsfrom the branch remain at the East Selkirk site on Monday, a government spokesperson said.

"Such investigations are done as quickly as possible and are a sensitive matter, with detail on the discovery difficult to confirm until a full investigation is completed," the spokesperson said in a statement.

People living in the EastSelkirkarea of Manitobawere surprised to see police tape surrounding the area, which is near a well-known local fishing spot, said DebbieFiebelkorn, mayor of the rural municipality of St.Clements.

"It is a very popular fishing area just to the west of where they were working, and there's a fair amount of people there ona regular basis," she said.

"It's a pretty quiet area, quiet community that we live in, and when you have a police presence like that,it's not that it's unnerving, but everybody is curious as to what's going on."