Ancient human remains being found in Utah provide clues to past life

Utah's Department of Heritage Arts says discoveries of ancient remains happen five to seven times each year in the state. (MyFoxOrlando.com)

Utah state officials are hoping that ancient human remains being found across the state will provide insights into how people settled into the region.

Utah's Department of Heritage Arts says discoveries of ancient bones happen around five to seven times each year.

"We get reports of finds from people hiking to farmers to construction all the way down to people digging in their backyards," Geoffrey Fattah, a communications director with the department, told MyFoxOrlando.com.

Last week, homeowners in one Salt Lake City neighborhood found bones at the bottom of a 6-foot trench that were determined by a medical examiner to be artifacts, according to authorities.

The bones are then investigated by the State Department of Heritage Arts.

"We do find pioneer remains, we do find Native American remains that go way back,” Fattah said. "Every new find of remains is an opportunity to learn more about how the ancient people who lived in this valley lived.”