Archaeologist Sergei Pogorelov told Russian television station that bullets found at the burial site indicate the children had been shot. He said the newly unearthed bones belonged to two young people: a young male aged roughly 10-13 and a young woman about 18-23.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, parts of the bodies were exhumed. They were verified by experts from Russia, Britain, and the US and buried in St. Peter and Paul’s Cathedral in St. Petersburg in 1998, and the investigation was dropped.

But in 2004, the forensic examination results were challenged and flaws in DNA studies, discrepancies between the findings and historical facts and breaches in forensic procedures were reported.

Alexander Zakatov, a spokesman for the Romanov family said Friday descendants were prepared to aid the identification process, but warned against rushing to conclusions, which was the case in 1998.

The Romanov family and the Russian Orthodox Church have questioned the authenticity of the remains buried in St. Petersburg.