Make no bones about it – you might be able to solve this mystery

Out of the WSB inbox, from Krystal:

This is kind of odd. I live across from the old Huling Brothers lot on Fauntleroy Way (@ Edmunds) [map], on the west side of the street. For about 3-4 months now, we have been seeing tons of bones being tossed out on the fence and in and around our parking lot of our apartment building. We generally see them right off the alley, as if someone threw them out the window as they were driving down the alley, and they usually end up on the fence right along the alley (the fence is for an abandoned parking lot on the SW corner of Fauntleroy and Edmunds). They are also sometimes in the 4-5 parking spaces behind the Belle Mente preschool. We have some rib bones in our parking lot, and the other day, on top of our snow, a very large knee bone. We are assuming these are from a cow? However, since we have a curious dog, who fortunately knows the ‘leave it’ command, we have noticed these maybe when others haven’t. We do not think it was garbage related because the bones appeared when the garbage trucks didn’t come by during the past few weeks. I am concerned that this may be bait for a dog, raccoon, etc., especially since there have been dog poisonings in the Genesee area (about 1 mile away). I just wanted to see if anyone else has noticed this nearby, and just for dog and cat owners to be on the look out for suspicious bones.

32 Replies to "Make no bones about it - you might be able to solve this mystery"

  • aunteesocial December 29, 2008 (6:24 pm)

    Could be diner’s discards- snacking on ribs from the new bbq place over there (name escapes me, used to be teriaki)?
    Crows also get bones from garbages and toss them. We live about 6 blocks from a KFC and there are chicken bones all over. I might not normally notice, but my two hounds are always looking. I try to walk them on the sides of the streets that do not have power lines for birds to perch and drop- way fewer bones.
    Not too long ago one of my dogs found a pork chop. ?
    If it’s too bad, you may go check garbage status of the local restaurants, to see if they are secure.
    It makes me nervous that my dogs could injure themselves or get sick from ‘sidewalk bones’.
    I also have neighbors that put old rice, bread, etc on their flower beds. They kind of skip the compost bin.. I suppose it works, but it drives my dogs nuts. I don’t really want them eating moldy rice either, but I try to keep an eye out before their noses get to it.

  • Aim December 29, 2008 (6:41 pm)

    a *knee* bone? Like a patella? That’s just a bit creepy. Sure they’re not human? I kid, mostly, but it’s a valid question I think.

  • Krystal December 29, 2008 (7:07 pm)

    It was a huge joint looking bone, without the knee cap :) It was huge, and I am assuming it was a cow. It would shock me if anyone was eating off it, because of the size, but regarding the ribs, it would be totally normal to have them as dinner scraps. Totally a valid question, I am continuing to hope they are non-human bones. I don’t handle bone frequently, but that did come from a large animal!

  • Anony December 29, 2008 (7:14 pm)

    Creepy, I leave in the vicinity as well!

  • rykrite December 29, 2008 (7:17 pm)

    You know, if it’s even a little suspect (poisoning animals, etc.) I think that a call to the non-emergency number for the police would be in order. Let them check it out and eye things to see what they think….

  • Gina December 29, 2008 (7:20 pm)

    Could someone be getting them from the trash over at the Stouffer’s Kitchen, or whatever the “roach coach” place is called now? They are pretty close to that location.

  • Rick December 29, 2008 (7:35 pm)

    I’m hoping you mighta found the ex.

  • HunterG December 29, 2008 (7:48 pm)

    EEK! Let’s hope it’s cow bones.

  • JH December 29, 2008 (7:51 pm)

    Rick, make no bones about it…sounds like you may have a bone to pick with her. Maybe it’s just a bone of contention.

  • JH December 29, 2008 (7:53 pm)

    Oops, I just stole a line from the header.

  • DM December 29, 2008 (8:19 pm)

    From what you describe (the bones appearing in roughly the same place I believe)…Perhaps a robust meat eating person in your apartment building is flinging them out a window during a moment of sated rapture? How very “Tom Jones”…

    Just a theory.

  • MissK December 29, 2008 (8:55 pm)

    I’m thinking it’s crows that are the culprits leaving the bones behind. When I was growing up someitmes the crows would land on our roof and we would find the occasional bone from food thrown in the trash.

  • AlkiBoy December 29, 2008 (8:58 pm)

    This is an odd one! If the bones are as big as you say, I have a problem with the idea of crows ‘dropping’ them. I know the chances of it being anything nefarious are probably .00001%, but maybe giving our friends at the SW precinct a call can’t hurt? If for no other reason, just to put minds to rest. The officers at SW precinct are really cool; they won’t mind.

  • homesweethome December 29, 2008 (9:48 pm)

    we used to live near this intersection and frequently saw bones, I assumed chicken and something slightly larger at the stoplight at Edmunds and Fauntleroy – and this was two years ago

  • cathy December 29, 2008 (10:02 pm)

    Maybe take some photos over a few days to document what is going on and create a record of some sort just in case…..oh, you never know. Might be something, might be nothing at all.

  • Krystal December 29, 2008 (10:16 pm)

    I will try to get some photos tomorrow, and send them in to WSB headquarters. I think the smaller bones could be crows, but I don’t think a crow could lift some of the heavier ones.

  • homedk December 29, 2008 (10:37 pm)

    Years ago we had a large dog; he was prone to barking if he got bored when left home alone, so we would buy him large “soup bones”, ribs & other types of bones from the local butcher shop.

    The scene you are describing sounds a lot like our former yard looked…full of bones of various shapes & sizes! The crows would often take the bones & then leave them on the garage roof.

    I wonder if this current scene could be a similar situation, with a happy dog involved.

  • snowlion December 29, 2008 (10:50 pm)

    Hey, at least they’re not finding random feet in shoes back there… :/

  • mellaw6565 December 29, 2008 (10:56 pm)

    We find bones in our yard every so often. It’s the crows that drop them.

    I’m guessing that the same applies in this situation- the crows are raiding the garbage of the food places and leaving the bones. You have several restaurants in your near vicinity – including many Asian restaurants that use big bones of cows to make the beef broth for soups like Pho.

    I don’t think there’s anything nefarious going on here.

  • mike December 29, 2008 (11:02 pm)

    we also have a lot of random bones in the highland park area. My neighbor said he’s actually seen one fall from the sky. I never thought of Crows that makes sense for the type of bones I see (smallish).

  • mellaw6565 December 29, 2008 (11:07 pm)

    Yeah Mike -I’m in HP also.

  • ellenater December 29, 2008 (11:19 pm)

    what happens to the bones? where do they go? can you post pics on here of the big ones? i’m all curious now…

    btw, nice ones, JH :)

  • mar3c December 30, 2008 (6:30 am)

    gina: regarding stouffer’s, i don’t think there’s real meat on any of those roach coaches. well, maybe organ meat. nothing with bones in it, though.
    .
    in any case, i seriously doubt that they’re making bbq ribs over there.

  • Stephanie December 30, 2008 (8:02 am)

    I bet someone from your apartment is making stock with the bones and throwing them out the window.

  • Tiffany December 30, 2008 (9:39 am)

    Krystal – I have noticed them for several months too! Charlie Brown constantly drags me over there but he is good not to touch them. Every now and then, I have seen a few cars parked in the alley waiting for someone and I have even seen folks walking kind of lingering and talking around that area. I can’t believe that someone is just thrwoing bones out of the window when they drive by, if so the have great aim because it hits the same place over and over. I also can’t beleive that if you have garbage you can’t walk the 3 feet to the giant dumspter sitting next to the bones or walk the 30 feet the OTHER dumspter at the end of the stupid alley. Makes me cranky :)

  • Lindsey December 30, 2008 (9:44 am)

    I live in that area as well. Sounds like a dog’s stash to me.

  • Tiffany December 30, 2008 (10:30 am)

    Actually, there use to be a huge racoon living in that (our) alley. I haven’t seen him in a while but he could still be trudging around. If you see him, stay away..he is mean as hell.

  • GreenSpaces December 30, 2008 (11:47 am)

    I was going to suggest a raccoon since they are big enough to haul around large bones like that. If they are clean bones. I suspect if there was still anything left on the bone, it would still be picked at.

  • Angela December 30, 2008 (12:48 pm)

    I live at that intersection too and I see raccoons all the time and think they could be the culprits. Also, my cat dragged home a chicken carcass in the snow last week. He was very proud of himself…

  • Cleveland Ken December 30, 2008 (3:03 pm)

    Don’t you know Ted Bundy used to live in the area? Me thinks one of his dumping grounds is starting to surface. Keep them in a big pile and I will have a crazy old Indian woman pray for them just in case it is an old Indian burial ground. I would now watch out for the poltergeist in the swimming pool.

  • Tiffany December 30, 2008 (3:15 pm)

    Ken, that’s crackin me up! Let me know the outcome :)

  • Krystal December 30, 2008 (5:47 pm)

    Tiffany- I was going to ask you about this, I figured if B was interested, Charlie Brown was too. I have never seen that raccoon, so thanks for the info. I was going to take a picture today, but forgot! I am dying to clean this area of trash and bones and such. I just might (when the raccoon is not around)…

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