Police Commissioner Everton Jeffers says investigators are now working to verify the identities of the Canadian divers who allegedly discovered what have been described on social media as human remains beneath the waters off Parham.

Speaking during a police press briefing on Thursday, Jeffers said one of the key priorities is determining whether Canadian researchers were in Antigua and Barbuda conducting deep-sea diving operations in the area where the alleged discovery was made.

“We are trying to touch base with the Canadian Consulate to find out which Canadians were doing the diving,” Jeffers said. “It would be a difficult task to simply go three nautical miles out and begin diving.”

The Commissioner explained that investigators must first establish who the divers are before determining the exact location of the alleged discovery.

“We must know who the divers are. The first thing is to find out from the Consulate if they had persons here doing deep-sea diving, and we can go from there,” he said.

Jeffers noted that once investigators obtain credible information about the location, the Royal Police Force, working alongside the Antigua and Barbuda Defence Force Coast Guard, has the capability to carry out its own underwater search.

“We have divers who can dive, and we can get them to go down, and then we can take it from there,” he said.

“If it’s true, we can then ascertain who these people are if this is found to be true.”

The investigation stems from claims circulating on social media that several human remains were discovered approximately three nautical miles east of Parham Dock. The allegations, first shared by the Facebook page True Crimes Antigua, claimed the remains were found by divers accompanying Canadian researchers studying coral reefs.

The post further alleged that some of the remains were chained or had their feet shackled to cement buckets and large concrete columns, prompting widespread public concern and renewed anguish among families of missing persons.

Police have stressed that the claims remain unverified.

Last weekend, officers and members of the Antigua and Barbuda Defence Force Coast Guard conducted an initial search of the reported area but were unable to identify the precise location described in the social media post.

Jeffers reiterated that investigators are treating the matter seriously and will continue to pursue every credible lead.

Police are again appealing to anyone with firsthand knowledge of the alleged discovery, including the divers involved or anyone able to identify the exact location, to come forward and assist the investigation.

Authorities say obtaining accurate information is critical before a comprehensive underwater search can be undertaken.