The examination of skeletal remains found behind a west Birmingham home showed the victim was shot to death.

The discovery was made Monday at a home on Brighton Road. Police Wednesday evening said the victim’s death has been confirmed as a homicide.

At about 5 p.m. Monday, investigators from the Crimes Against Persons Division and the Tactical Operations Division carried out a search warrant on a residence in the 1400 Block of Brighton Road.

While conducting the search warrant, investigators saw what they believed to be a fresh pile of compost/topsoil in the backyard of the home.

A cadaver dog was brought to the scene and alerted on the fresh compost pile.

Investigators used shovels to remove dirt from the pile and discovered what appeared to be skeletal remains.

On Tuesday, the Jefferson County Coroner’s Office responded to the scene and determined the skeletal remains were human. The coroner’s office took possession of the remains.

On Wednesday, the Jefferson County Medical Examiner’s Office notified Homicide detectives that the examination of the remains revealed the victim had been shot, said Sgt. LaQuitta Wade.

The victim’s identity has not yet been confirmed and no arrests have been announced.

The victim is Birmingham’s 114th homicide this year. Of those, one was an officer-involved shooting by an outside law enforcement agency and eight others have been ruled justifiable and therefore aren’t deemed criminal.

In all of Jefferson County, there have been 160 homicides, including the 114 in Birmingham.

Anyone with information is asked to call homicide detectives at 205-254-1764 or Crime Stoppers at 205-254-7777.