FLEMING ISLAND, Fla. – The Clay County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the discovery of human remains found in the St. Johns River off Highway 17 in Fleming Island.
On Wednesday, around 5:07 p.m., a local homeowner called 911 about skeletal remains near the bulkhead of their house, not far from the Doctors Lake Bridge, deputies said.
A bulkhead is a barrier or wall to help separate water from a person’s property.
Patrol units, detectives and the dive team responded to the scene and worked until evening.
Investigators are still trying to identify the remains and will be searching Thursday morning for more evidence connected to the remains.
Joseph Palumbo maintains one of the properties close to where the remains were found.
He said he was caught off guard when he heard what had happened.
“Just had me scratching my head, like I wonder what happened with the bridge being over there. And, you know, this being a big little area, you know, there’s a lot of stories that go around,” he said.
Officials said the remains will be sent to the medical examiner’s office to assist with the investigation and help determine the cause of death.
“This could take months to really properly identify the remains here, and even the potential exists that they don’t ever identify the remains that are found there,” said News4JAX Crime and Safety Analyst Tom Hackney.
Hackney said water can make the process a lot more difficult.
“The water obviously degrades the organic material, any flesh that would be there and and certainly any clothing that’s there. Time plays a role. A lot of exposure to the water, to the elements really plays a lot with decomposition of a body and how long it can be there,” Hackney said.
Anyone with information regarding this is encouraged to contact CCSO at 904-264-6512 or you can submit a tip through the SaferWatch app.
