Hundreds of bones were discovered during a weekend search for Kyle Doan but they are not likely to belong to the 5-year-old boy swept away in floodwaters six months ago near San Miguel.
Around 300 personnel from across the state were involved in the two-day search that took place in a roughly six-mile stretch of the Salinas River.
The sheriff’s office said the search did not locate Kyle or provide any indication of his whereabouts.
Sheriff’s spokesperson Tony Cipolla on Wednesday confirmed the search yielded 250 animal bones. Around seven possible human bone fragments appearing to be consistent with adult bones were also located.
The bones were sent off to be tested, Cipolla said, adding that “it’s not uncommon for Native American remains to be found near waterways since they used those areas as burial grounds.”
Kyle was last seen the morning of Jan. 9 when the vehicle he and his mom were in was swept away on their way to school in San Miguel.
His mom was rescued but bystanders were unable to get to the boy in time.
Several searches have taken place since then, but none have led to the recovery of Kyle.
The sheriff’s office says it’s “assessing the situation to determine what is reasonable and possible going forward.”
