The bones had been spotted protruding from a sand dune section, approximately two to three metres below the surface, and initially documented by Caroline Carr from Donegal County Museum. When Carr first visited the site, she managed to retrieve what appeared to be a human vertebra along with the vertebra of a small animal, carefully preserving them for further analysis.

Unfortunately, by the time Sikora arrived at the windswept coastal location, the archaeological trail had gone cold. The skeletal remains that had been clearly visible in the eroding sand dune just days earlier had vanished, with fresh, damp sand indicating they’d been recently removed by hand. Despite thoroughly cleaning down the section and searching the disturbed sand, no trace of bone, artefacts or any grave structure could be found. The timing and manner of the removal suggested someone had deliberately extracted the remains between Carr’s initial visit and Sikora’s investigation.

The site holds deeper historical significance beyond this mysterious disappearance. A local resident had previously told Carr about discovering what he described as ‘a stone oven containing burnt material’ some twenty years earlier in the same area; this was likely a Bronze Age cist burial, catalogued as monument DG032-012002. Sikora searched for any stones that might indicate the presence of this ancient burial structure, but the shifting sands had long since concealed any visible traces. The burial ground at An Luinnigh, as the area is known in Irish, continues to guard its secrets beneath the ever-changing dunes of the Donegal coastline.