PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- A human skeleton was found Wednesday afternoon under a concrete floor in a building undergoing extensive renovations next to the Providence Community Health Centers in South Providence.
"From what we can see right now, it appears to be suspicious," said Providence Police Maj. David Lapatin.
Construction workers were tearing up the basement floor of the Prairie Avenue building when they found the skeletal remains, Providence Police Deputy Chief Thomas F. Oates III said.
The workers had pulled up the concrete and bricks when they discovered the skull and attached skeleton, Lapatin said. The body was at the bottom of what used to be an elevator or dumb-waiter shaft, he said.
Police are investigating the remains, and the state medical examiner is responding to the scene. The Providence Police Bureau of Criminal Identification has arrived.
The building undergoing renovation is next to the Providence Community Health Centers, which is located at 355 Prairie Ave.
Correction: The location of the skeletal remains was incorrect in an earlier version of this report.