Native American remains found at UC Berkeley construction site
The Berkeley Scanner was the first to report this news.
Authorities have discovered Native American remains at the future home of UC Berkeley's new beach volleyball complex, The Scanner has learned.
The bones "do not appear to be connected to any crime," UC Berkeley police said Thursday in response to a Scanner inquiry.
On Wednesday, readers who saw the Alameda County coroner's van near campus at about 2:40 p.m. asked The Scanner to learn more.
Thursday morning, authorities from several law enforcement agencies responded to the site — at Bancroft Way and Fulton Street — to take a closer look.
The area is located just west of Edwards Stadium on the west side of campus, where it borders downtown Berkeley and the Southside neighborhood.
This week, one source told The Scanner that the bones had likely been in the ground for some time. They were covered by concrete and found 2 feet underground, according to early reports.
The University of California Police Department said the coroner's office had identified the remains as Native American and referred additional questions to UC Berkeley's Strategic Communications.
The coroner's office near Edwards Stadium at UC Berkeley on Wednesday, April 15, 2026. Scanner Insider
On Thursday afternoon, the Alameda County coroner's office said it was no longer involved in the case and directed all questions to UC Berkeley.
Construction at the site, a former surface parking lot, began about a year ago, according to project materials and Cal Athletics.
The new beach volleyball complex is expected to be done this year, within 16-18 months, according to UC Berkeley's Capital Strategies department.
The project, writes contractor Overaa Construction, "will provide a state-of-the-art home for Cal Athletics beach volleyball that also serves as a welcoming gateway to the campus park. The project includes a five-court sand volleyball complex with berm seating for approximately 500 spectators and a 2,900 SF team building featuring mass timber elements, locker rooms and restrooms."
Emilie Raguso
It's not the first time in recent memory that human remains have been discovered at UC Berkeley.
The skeletal remains of homicide victim Steven McCreary were found in a crawl space at UC Berkeley's Clark Kerr Campus in 2021 — although the discovery did not become public until 2023.
McCreary died by blunt force trauma, campus authorities later said. There have been no updates in the case for some time.
Update, 4:55 p.m. UC Berkeley provided the following statement. It appears below in full.
On April 15th, skeletal remains were discovered at a construction site on UC Berkeley property. The Alameda County Coroner's Office determined the remains were likely historical Native American remains, and not connected to any crime.
The campus's Governmental and Community Relations office, which oversees matters related to Native American remains, is coordinating with the California Native American Heritage Commission on this matter.
The university will follow the procedures of the Most Likely Descendant as designated by the Native American Heritage Commission to ensure respectful and appropriate next steps.
