Remains found at mob dig site

EAST PROVIDENCE, RI (WPRI) - State Police confirm they have found what appears to be human remains at the Lisboa Apartments in East Providence.

This is the location where police were digging for the remains of murdered mob associate Joseph "Joe Onions" Scanlon. Police said if the remains found are in fact human, they will then need to conduct extensive tests to determine those remains are Scanlon's.

However, according to Col. Brendan Doherty of the State Police, they have significant reason to believe it is Scanlon, although he would not elaborate.

Crews began excavating the site on Bullocks Point Ave. Monday, following the announcement of nearly two dozen arrests in the organized crime investigation "Operation Mobbed Up."

One of the people arrested in that bust was mob associate Nicholas "Nicky" Pari, who had served time for Scanlon's 1978 murder. Scanlon's body, however, was never found.

Sources confirm that it was Pari, 71, who directed troopers to Lisboa Apartments.

Stay with Eyewitness News and WPRI.com for more information.