A mummified body was found inside the wall at old Henry J. Kaiser Convention Center in Oakland, a California venue where the Grateful Dead regularly played during the ’60s and ’70s and where legendary political figures spoke, including Martin Luther King, Jr.
The grim discovery was made Wednesday by a construction crew with Orton Development, Inc. as they were demolishing an interior wall, CBS San Francisco reported.
Authorities said the body had been inside the wall long enough that it mummified, which will make it difficult to determine the person’s identity, age, or gender, the news outlet reported.
Frederick Shavies of Oakland Police said that the body was hidden behind drywall and approximately 12 feet deep. KTVU-TV reported.
Police believe the body was found in the auditorium’s ceiling by the victim. KTVU-TV reports that investigators have found evidence that the body has moved into the space through scratch marks in the drywall. The area would have been very difficult for the person to have gotten out of by themselves, and they may have suffered from positional asphyxiation, Shavies said.
Shavies stated that the body was likely to have been in the wall between three- and five years depending on how it had decomposed. Officials are trying to identify the body.
“We’re hoping that maybe we can rehydrate some of the skin,” Alameda County Sheriff’s Lt. Ray Kelly told KTVU-TV. “We can run those fingerprints against our database and possibly identify the person.”
He said that authorities may also use DNA and dental records to try to identify the person, and will also check a missing persons database.
“The only positive that will come out of this story is that this will bring closure to a family that’s probably wondering where this person has been for many years,”Kelly spoke to the news outlet.
The Henry J. Kaiser Convention Center has been closed for nearly two decades. It is located near Lake Merritt College and Laney College. The building was constructed in 1914. In 2005, the building was declared too costly to maintain.SFist reported.
Oakland declared the building a historical landmark. And, after decades of neglect, the building fell into disrepair. The Oakland City Council authorized Orton Development to enter into an exclusive agreement to renovate and reuse the building as a commercial space and performing arts venue. The company also plans to lease the space from Oakland, the news outlet said.
The rehabilitation project of the center was originally slated to start in 2020.
Anybody with any information is requested to call the Oakland Police Homicide Division, 510-238-3821, or the department’s tipline at 510-238-7950.