Detectives and the sheriff's Crime Scene Investigations Unit responded to a wooded patch near Astor after someone reported what appeared to be skeletal remains just off Camp McQuarrie Road and State Road 40. The Lake County Sheriff's Office says the investigation is active and ongoing, and officials have not yet confirmed whether the remains are even human.
According to Inside Lake, LCSO received the report of possible skeletal remains just before 12:45 p.m. Friday, prompting detectives and the sheriff's Crime Scene Investigations Unit to head to the scene in Astor. Deputy Stephanie Earley said the sheriff's office cannot yet confirm whether the remains are human, and that a medical examiner will need to complete an examination before that determination can be made. Separately, ClickOrlando reported that the call came in to the sheriff's office at 12:43 p.m. Friday, prompting the immediate deployment of detectives and crime scene technicians.
A Remote Forest Community With a History of Mysteries
Astor is a small, unincorporated community of about 1,759 residents as of the 2020 Census, near the St. Johns River and the Marion and Volusia county lines, per Wikipedia. Reports about the remains identify Camp McQuarrie Road and State Road 40 as the location. State Road 40 itself is the primary east-west route through the northern part of the forest, linking Ocala in Marion County to Volusia County and Ormond Beach.
The discovery adds to a string of unresolved cases tied to this area. The Lake County Sheriff's Office still maintains an active cold-case file on 27-year-old Robert Snowberger, who vanished in February 2019 after leaving his belongings behind during a gathering in the Ocala National Forest near Astor. Other events elsewhere in Lake County are also mentioned.
What Happens Next
Any determination about the remains found Friday will require an examination by a medical examiner. The Districts 5 & 24 Medical Examiner's Office lists Dr. Barbara C. Wolf, M.D., among its medical examiners, according to the Districts 5 & 24 Medical Examiner's Office.
The next steps will depend on whether the remains are determined to be human. If they are, investigators and a medical examiner will determine how to proceed.
The Lake County Sheriff's Office also maintains a Cold Case Team. For now, whether Friday's discovery in Astor connects to any of the sheriff's cold cases — or to Snowberger's disappearance — remains unknown, and the sheriff's office has not said when results from the medical examiner's review are expected.
