Police are conducting an investigation after a dog dug up human skeletal remains behind a residence in St. Johns County, Florida. Earlier this month, a resident reported possible human remains in a wooded area behind his home to the Sheriff’s Office. The area has since been marked a crime scene.
Authorities investigating after Florida dog finds skeletal remains
According to Action News Jax, deputies with the St. Johns Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene after the homeowner reported that his dog had been relentlessly digging up what looked like human skeletal remains.
The man told authorities he noticed his canine companion coming back home with large bones, which raised his suspicions. This went on for a couple of days, with his dog even bringing several bones to his front yard.
On Feb. 8, the man decided to follow his dog to the woods, and to his horror, found a human skull and a bunch of bones. He contacted the police immediately.
Upon arrival, deputies confirmed the presence of human remains scattered in the area. They also located additional bones a few meters away. The area remains under investigation.
Authorities are yet to release information about the deceased’s identity, age, and gender. Moreover, it remains unclear how long the remains had been sitting in the woods. The authorities have also not commented on the probability of foul play in the incident. Most likely, these details will be made public once all the evidence is thoroughly examined.
According to the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs), roughly 600,000 people are declared missing in the United States each year, WVNS 59 News reported. To add to that, about 4,400 unidentified bodies are discovered across the country every year. Of those, roughly 1,000 bodies remain unidentified even after one year, statistics reveal.
