DANVILLE, Va. – Police are hoping to identify skeletal remains found at a south Danville work site on Tuesday afternoon.

The discovery was made in a heavily wooded area while a crew of workers cleared trees along a power line right-of-way near the Danville Expressway and South Main Street. Police say the bones were scattered but are human.

Crime scene technicians were conducting a grid search at the site on Wednesday in hopes of finding additional evidence. Investigators will also compare the remains to cases involving missing persons in the area.

The remains will be forwarded to the state medical examiner’s office in an attempt to identify the individual and to determine the cause of death.

Police have not been able to identify the person or determine a cause of death. Due to decomposition, the identification process could take several months.