A human skull was found by an excavating crew on the East Chicago portion of the BP Whiting refinery on Wednesday — the third set of remains found in the city since the start of 2024.

According to a news release, East Chicago police said officers responded to Gate 15, near 298 129th Street, around 9:45 p.m. Wednesday after receiving a report of human remains that were discovered on the property. Officers were escorted by security personnel through Gate 15 toward a dig site, the release stated.

A crew was excavating in the area to perform some maintenance on a pipe system when they found what appeared to be a human skull in the ground next to a refuse bin, police said. Officers saw the skull, which was encased in gravel.

The Lake County Prosecutor’s Office Homicide Task Force and Lake County Coroner’s Office responded to the scene and took possession of the skull.

At this time, police said the investigation is ongoing with no additional information available.

BP has not released information on the incident at this time.

On Feb. 4, a man walking in the area of 149th Place and Parrish Avenue called police after he saw what looked like a human skull in a grassy area near railroad tracks. Further searches discovered the bottom jaw of the skull, a part of a vertebrae and a jacket.

Police discovered the body of 30-year-old Clarissa Almodovar, who had been reported missing in 2023, on Jan. 30 in a house in the 4000 block of Deal Street, according to a release from the Lake County Coroner’s Office.