Human remains found near Halifax creek

The human bones were found near the N.C. Highway 561 railroad bridge shortly before 1:40 p.m.

Sheriff's officials say the remains could be those of a homeless person, based on what was found at the scene, but they are waiting for test results from the State Bureau of Investigation.

"Due to the fact of it being skeletal remains, we called in the SBI for their crime scene technology to help us," said Chief Deputy Wes Tripp. "(It's) very, very early in the investigation right now to even try to determine what happened."

Neighbor George Beal said he was very surprised to hear that human remains were found in his town. "We're a small town. You just don't hear of a whole lot of stuff going on," he said.