HUMAN remains found on a Suffolk building site could belong to that of a murder victim, it has been revealed.Archaeologists said it was possible the person - believed to be a woman - buried on a site on The Street in Beck Row, near Mildenhall, was murdered due to the way she was laying.

HUMAN remains found on a Suffolk building site could belong to that of a murder victim, it has been revealed.

Archaeologists said it was possible the person - believed to be a woman - buried on a site on The Street in Beck Row, near Mildenhall, was murdered due to the way she was laying.

John Craven, project officer for Suffolk County Council Archaeology service, said the body was found on its side as if it had been dumped there.

“It is lying on its side with one arm flopped out to the side,” he said. “It is in a fragile condition and seems to have been dropped in the ditch.

“Whether you could say the person had been murdered I'm not sure, but it is a possibility.

“We have found human remains in this area before but they are usually in a purposely dug grave. This one seems to have just been dumped on a field boundary.”

The archaeologists discovered the intact human remains on a site planned for a housing development for RAF Mildenhall personnel and their families.

The unusual find was made on Tuesday by archaeologist John Sams, who believes the skeleton could belong to an adult woman from the first or second century AD.

The remains, which were removed bone-by-bone from the site, have been dubbed Yorrick, after the skull in Shakespeare's Hamlet.

The archaeology team has also found various items of pottery and coins as well as the skeleton of a pig, which was discovered upside down in one of the ditches.

Mr Craven said: “We have to wait for a human remains specialist to come and have a look at the skeleton and then we will know a bit more.

“The other items from the surrounding area will also be looked at to build up a better picture.”

Mildenhall Museum, which is in the process of fundraising for a new museum to house an Anglo Saxon warrior found in 1997, has a replica silver hoard from the Roman period.

Stephanie Palmer, chairman of trustees for the Mildenhall museum, said the discovery of the skeleton was very exciting.

“I will be interested to find out more about this new find,” she said. “They found Roman artefacts in West Row during the war, and Beck Row isn't too far away from there - it is more indications to Romans being in the area. This is an exciting find to have so close by.”

lorraine.price@eadt.co.uk