Human skull discovered in fire pit at homeowners’ new house, Michigan police say

Homeowners got quite the shock Monday night when they found a human skull in the backyard fire pit at their new home in Michigan, police say.

The new owners had recently closed on the home and called police as soon as they found the skull in the Trenton property’s large fire pit, WXYZ reported.

Michigan State Police investigators have only found remains of one person on the property, according to the outlet. The incident remains under investigation.

The home was last owned by Mark Eberly, 57, who was recently killed in a shootout with police in Tennessee, WJBK reported. Neighbors told the outlet that Eberly regularly had fires in the pit before moving.

Investigators are trying to contact Eberly’s girlfriend who may have lived with him at the home, according to the outlet. It’s not known if the woman is missing, WJBK reported.

After a run-in with law enforcement over a revoked driver’s license last month, Eberly was pulled over in Tennessee, The News-Herald reported. Eberly opened fire on the deputy — who was wearing a bullet-proof vest — when he approached Eberly’s car, hitting him in the chest, according to the newspaper.

Police have not confirmed whether the deputy shot Eberly or if he died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, The News-Herald reported. The deputy’s injuries were not serious, according to the newspaper.

This story was originally published July 7, 2020 at 11:28 AM with the headline "Human skull discovered in fire pit at homeowners’ new house, Michigan police say."