Police investigating after 7 suspected human bones found near Philadelphia home

Authorities are investigating after seven suspected human bones were found in a dumpster near a rowhome in Philadelphia's Point Breeze neighborhood Monday evening.

Police were called out to the home on the 1800 block of Wharton Street around 5 p.m. for a report of possible remains.

A stop-work order from the city's Department of Licenses and Inspections was seen on the property's front window Tuesday. The order said a permit must be obtained for the excavation of the basement.

An inspector with Licenses and Inspections saw dirt being removed from the property and determined that crews were doing excavation work without the proper permit, which prompted the stop-worker order, a spokesperson for the department said. The inspector then found multiple bones inside a dumpster at the site and called Philadelphia Police, who took the remains to the Medical Examiner's Office, the spokesperson said.

The police department's Homicide Unit was also notified.  

Inspectors proactively respond to complaints and safety concerns at construction sites from March through October, a spokesperson for Licenses and Inspections said.