Work is back underway at a Nayatt Point construction site after a two-day delay following the discovery of human remains by a crew excavating the undeveloped lot.

The property at 56 Elm Lane lies in one of Barrington’s most exclusive neighborhoods, a rare undeveloped site in an enclave of multi-million-dollar estates. It is on the east side of a short lane that runs south from Nayatt Road to a public right-of-way that opens to Narragansett Bay.

On Thursday, Sept. 19, a crew was digging in an area just a few feet from the public road when it discovered skeletal remains believed to have been there for a long time. They called Barrington Police, which responded to the scene and began an investigation. After determining the bones might be human, police notified the Rhode Island Medical Examiner’s Office.

Several pieces of evidence were transported to the medical examiner’s office, and a preliminary review determined they were in fact human skeletal remains. A visual inspection of the evidence coupled with the location suggest the burial is not a recent event.

On Friday, Sept. 20, the Medical Examiner’s Office responded to 56 Elm Lane, along with Barrington Police Department’s Detective Bureau. Additional evidence was recovered and turned over to the Medical Examiner’s Office. The joint investigation is continuing.

A small area where the remains were found has been taped off, and the construction crew has been given the green light to resume work at the site. They were back to work on Sunday, working on the area around the foundation of the new house.

According to a member of the crew working Sunday afternoon, representatives of a Native American tribe were at the site on Saturday.