TORONTO - The skeletal remains of three people have been unearthed in the shadow of Toronto's notorious old Don Jail.

The archeologist leading the dig says he believes they're prisoners sent to the gallows in the late 19th century.

Ron Williamson says there could be up to nine bodies buried in what is now a parking lot between the old jail and a hospital.

Williamson says the skulls, clearly on display as an archeological crew examined the site Wednesday, show signs of cranial autopsy - a common practice at the jail.

The crew focused their dig, part of the hospital's redevelopment of the site, in a specific area based on archival evidence that bodies would be found.

The old Don Jail, which opened in 1864 and was closed in 1977, was the scene of more than two dozen executions before the death penalty was abolished in 1976.