BRIDGEWATER, Mass. (WHDH) — Authorities are working to see if the discovery of apparent human remains in Bridgewater and Hyde Park are connected.
Police say what appear to be human remains were found Wednesday burning inside a barrel in a wooded area of Bridgewater.
Firefighters and police who responded to the woods behind Bridgewater State Hospital psychiatric facility just before 8 p.m. found the barrel with its contents on fire.
What appeared to be burned human remains were also found Thursday behind a home in Boston’s Hyde Park neighborhood.
The locations are about 16 miles apart.
The remains were taken to the state medical examiner’s office in an effort to determine the person’s identity as well as the cause of death.
“It’s sad, I feel really bad. I think it is’ really sad that, you know, somebody’s lost a family member,” said Gabrielle Degrasse, neighbor.
That area where those remains were found is a popular place for people who live in the area. They say people hike and fish in that area.
The area is also a shortcut for people who apparently work at the correctional facility.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.