A grisly discovery in a remote Southern California desert has sparked a homicide investigation after a hiker stumbled upon a human skull.

San Bernardino County Sheriff’s deputies responded around 7:30 a.m. Wednesday to a rugged area near Adobe Road and Baseline Road in Twentynine Palms after the remains were reported.

Authorities said the skull appears to belong to an adult and had likely been exposed to the elements for an extended period of time.

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The Sheriff’s Department’s Homicide Detail has since taken over the case — a move officials told Fox News Digital is standard procedure in cases involving human remains. Detectives, along with the Coroner’s Division and crime scene specialists, conducted an extensive search of the surrounding area and recovered the skull.

No additional remains were found.

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It remains unclear how the skull ended up in the remote desert landscape.

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The remains will undergo forensic examination and DNA testing as investigators work to identify the individual and determine how they died.

Officials said they are comparing the remains against local, regional and national missing persons databases, but no identifying details, including age, sex or other characteristics, are currently known.

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Authorities say there are no known signs of trauma or foul play at this stage, though that could change pending further examination. There are also no known public safety concerns for residents or visitors to the area.

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Fox News Digital reached out to the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department to ask whether additional items were found, how long the remains may have been there and whether more searches are planned.

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Officials said no other remains were located, but declined to estimate how long the skull had been exposed and said additional information remains pending.

Anyone with information is urged to contact authorities at 909-890-4904.

Costco is known for supersized everything — but a new product downsizing in its bakery section is getting some big attention from shoppers, and some say it may actually be better.

The warehouse giant is now offering its popular Kirkland Signature bagels in a single, eight-count pack at some locations, rather than requiring customers to purchase two packs at once as it previously did.

The shift, which was spotted by shoppers and highlighted in a recent post by Instagram account @costcobuys, is being welcomed by many who say the old bulk requirement often led to wasted food.

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“Big news for bagel lovers because the Costco bakery now sells their Kirkland Signature Bagels as a SINGLE 8-pack!” said the Instagram post, which garnered over 1 million views in a day.

Majed Kassis, who runs the account, noted a reported price of $4.99. 

“No more bagels going bad before you can finish them,” the Michigan-based content creator said in the video.

Kassis told Fox News Digital that, while some people claimed the bagels are now smaller, there was mostly “positive feedback” around not having to buy two packs and wasting or freezing bagels.

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“I never buy them for home because I don’t want 12 bagels, so love the single pack option!” one person commented.

Others said a dozen was “just too much” for them. 

Shoppers have long pointed out that some Costco bakery items can be difficult to finish before they go stale, especially for smaller households. The new offering provides more flexibility without requiring freezer space or excess meal planning.

Others simply exclaimed: “Finally!”

But not everyone is convinced the change is a win.

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Some commenters questioned whether the shift is less about convenience and more about pricing.

“So before, you got 12 for $5.99. Now, you get 8 for $4.99. They raised prices without raising prices,” one user claimed.

Another echoed the concern: “So now it is more expensive per pack.”

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Others pushed back on that narrative, pointing out the per-unit math.

“It’s just a slight price difference per unit … $0.66/bagel [before] … $0.62/bagel [now],” one commenter calculated, suggesting the value may still be comparable depending on location and pricing.

Others argued the move goes against the retailer’s bulk-buy identity.

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“This is what Costco is about, isn’t it? Buying in bulk,” one person wrote.

Nonetheless, many shoppers said they would still buy multiple packs, especially now with more variety available.

One person recalled being able to mix and match flavors under the old two-pack system.

The conversation also spilled into broader critiques of Costco’s bakery, including questions about ingredient transparency.

“You can have your fake blueberry bagels, Costco. … No, thanks,” one user wrote in response to Kassis’ post, referencing separate online discussions about “simulated blueberry” ingredients.

“Do they come with real blueberries?” another commenter asked.

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The blueberry bagels have drawn criticism recently after some shoppers noticed the label indicates the fruit component is made from flavored and colored ingredients rather than real blueberries.

Fox News Digital reached out to Costco for comment.

Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries ripped Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in a Fox News Digital interview on Thursday, calling him a “lame duck” after the governor offered to pay for his trip to Florida amid a redistricting push.

Jeffries warned DeSantis he could put Republican seats at risk as the Sunshine State remains in the spotlight of a nationwide gerrymandering battle, with parties reshuffling congressional districts for partisan advantages.

“Ron DeSantis is putting his own congressional delegation in jeopardy, which probably shouldn’t be surprising because all of them, as I understand it, can’t stand the charismatically challenged lame duck governor of Florida,” Jeffries said.

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DeSantis extended the invitation to Jeffries at a press conference in Kissimmee, Florida, on Wednesday following Jeffries’ “F around and find out” warning on redistricting.

“Please. Be my guest. I will pay for you to come down to Florida to campaign,” DeSantis told the crowd. “I’ll put you up in the Florida governor’s mansion. We will take you fishing. We’ll do all this stuff. There’s nothing that could be better for Republicans in Florida than to see Jeffries, Hakeem Jeffries, everywhere around this state.”

Jeffries warned DeSantis earlier this week not to follow Texas’s lead, where Republicans pushed a redistricting map to flip up to five Democratic-held seats.

“Our message to Florida Republicans is F around and find out,” Jeffries said. “If they go down the road of a DeSantis dummymander, the Florida Republicans are gonna find themselves in the same situation as Texas Republicans, who are on the run right now. Under no circumstances are Texas Republicans picking up five seats. They’ll be fortunate if they get two or three. While in California, we are going to get all five.”

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Multiple states have moved forward with similar redistricting efforts following a push initiated by President Donald Trump.

Jeffries added that the redistricting war is not over yet.

“The Republicans are dummymandering their way into the minority before a single voter casts a ballot because they started this war and we’re going to finish it.”

With the 2026 midterms approaching, both parties hope to win the House by leveraging gerrymandering.

President Trump urged Virginia voters this week to reject the “blatant partisan power grab” in Virginia before voters headed to the polls to vote on the congressional redistricting referendum, led by Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger.

The referendum was passed on Tuesday night, securing Virginia Democrats a major win and increasing the party’s chances in the midterms.

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DeSantis called a special session this week to focus on congressional maps that he says will “accurately reflect the population of our state.” Florida’s state constitution bans favoring parties in redistricting.

Eight Democratic-held districts are up for redrawing. Currently, Republicans hold 20 of Florida’s seats, while Democrats hold eight.

A redistricting plan has not been revealed.

Fox News Digital’s Leo Briceno contributed to this report.