A construction job in Sarasota’s Newtown neighborhood turned into a death investigation after workers uncovered part of a human skeleton in a wooded lot off Leonard Reid Avenue on Friday. Deputies quickly roped off the area, and through the weekend investigators combed the site while forensic teams worked to confirm exactly what had been found. Neighbors said the discovery rattled a community more accustomed to quiet than crime scene tape.
According to a news release from the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office, the partial remains were found on the morning of Friday. The agency said its Crime Scene Unit, Criminal Investigations Section, Emergency Response Team and Sarasota K9 Search and Rescue all responded to the lot. Specialists from Florida Gulf Coast University’s Human Identity & Trauma Analysis program and the District 12 Medical Examiner’s Office were also called in to help locate and identify the remains.
What investigators and neighbors say
Workers dialed 911 just before 9 a.m. after spotting the bones, WWSB reported. Speaking at the scene, Lt. Mariah Piper told reporters, "We don’t have a complete skeleton at this point so we are still searching for remains." A longtime resident told the station she was stunned to learn that human bones had turned up in what is typically a quiet corner of the neighborhood.
How the public can help
The sheriff’s office said only one set of remains has been located so far and that investigators have not yet determined the person’s age, sex, manner of death or how long the bones may have been at the site. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Criminal Investigations Section at 941-861-4900, according to the sheriff's release.
