Over the last month, two human skulls and other remains have been discovered in different remote locations in Monterey County, and a dead body was also found this week. Is this the work of a serial killer, or just a gruesome coincidence?

On Wednesday morning, the body of a man was found in a field near Highway 183 and McFadden Road, in an unincorporated area near Salinas, as KTVU reports. A forensic investigation is reportedly underway, and the manner of death is not yet known.

This incident may be entirely unrelated to two other grim discoveries in Monterey County in the last month, but authorities in Monterey County are not accustomed to human remains being discovered in multiple locations in such a short span of time.

As the Chronicle reports, on December 29, a land surveyor working near Viejo Road — a winding mountain road south of Monterey, due east of Pebble Beach, in an unincorporated area — came upon a human skull. Subsequently, investigators also found other human remains in the area.

According to the Monterey County Sheriff's Office, these remains are being DNA-tested and identification is pending.

Another discovery of remains occurred one month later, on January 29, when some people walking near Cachagua Road in Carmel Valley found a human skull. This discovery was also made in an unincorporated area of the county, and sheriff's deputies arrived and secured the scene.

"Over the course of several days, the scene was processed, and additional human remains were located and collected," the sheriff's office says in a release.

Investigations into these possibly unrelated deaths are ongoing, and the sheriff's office is not releasing any further information at this time.