FL FL - Skeletal Remains in St. Augustine Beach, July 2018

[Gardener1850]

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. - Investigators on Friday began excavating a site near St. Augustine where human skeletal remains that could date back to 75 years ago were discovered recently.

The discovery was made days ago by a passerby who spotted a femur bone in the soil where land had recently been cleared for development, according to the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office.

Detectives collected the initial remains before bringing in archaeologists to examine how old the bones are. According to one expert’s estimate, the bones could be 75 years old or younger.

Excavation begins after skeletal remains found near St. Augustine

Authorities will be looking into missing person cases to try and identify the bones. There is no way to determine if foul play is suspected at this time.
The location where the remains were found is across the street from a place where bones were discovered in the 1980s. Those bones turned out to be historical in nature.

Skeletal remains found on Old Beach Rd. in St. Augustine Beach

 

[steverogers]

Ah!Our second home I miss St.Augustine

 

[Bit of hope]

75 years back....wohhhh counting back; 1943. Maybe a German spy?

 

[iulia]

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

Sex Male
Race/Ethnicity Uncertain
Estimated Age Group Adult - Pre 30
Estimated Age Range (Years) 31-71
Height 4' 8"-8' 4"(56-100 inches) , Estimated
Weight Cannot Estimate

Circumstances of Recovery Bones were discovered while doing excavation for new home, The land was bought in 1966 by current owner and the land were the remains were found had been vacant.

Details of Recovery

Inventory of Remains Head not recovered
Condition of Remains Not recognizable - Near complete or complete skeleton

 

[b741ma]

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

Sex Male
Race/Ethnicity Uncertain
Estimated Age Group Adult - Pre 30
Estimated Age Range (Years) 31-71
Height 4' 8"-8' 4"(56-100 inches) , Estimated
Weight Cannot Estimate

Circumstances of Recovery Bones were discovered while doing excavation for new home, The land was bought in 1966 by current owner and the land were the remains were found had been vacant.

Details of Recovery

Inventory of Remains Head not recovered
Condition of Remains Not recognizable - Near complete or complete skeleton

Very wide height range. That seems odd. I'm still waiting for a Doe Network page to see if this guy has any Dentals or DNA that could narrow down his identity.

 

[b741ma]

The bones may be as old as 75 years but how recent may they be. That could really ease identification. I found a man who disappeared from St. Augustine in 1979 and I almost posted him here as a possible identity. But then I realized he was too young to be the man found.

 

[iulia]

Very wide height range. That seems odd. I'm still waiting for a Doe Network page to see if this guy has any Dentals or DNA that could narrow down his identity.

You’re right. Also, his Estimated Age Group is Pre 30 but his Age Range is 31-71. Not too much to go on here. The head was not recovered, so no dentals unfortunately.

 

[Bit of hope]

Pondering about what would be (a) logical year(s) that this person could have gone missing.

Actually the info is non info....age group Pre 30, age range 31 - 71....with 8'4 this man would be one of the tallest people who ever lived, almost a circus attraction...not somebody you could overlook very easy. It doesn't make sense at all.

 

[cvaldez1975]

the body could have been buried there after the owner purchased the land but while it was vacant.

 

[b741ma]

Pondering about what would be (a) logical year(s) that this person could have gone missing.

Actually the info is non info....age group Pre 30, age range 31 - 71....with 8'4 this man would be one of the tallest people who ever lived, almost a circus attraction...not somebody you could overlook very easy. It doesn't make sense at all.

Yeah. Only 5 people have ever been recorded to be 8' 4" or taller and 3 of those cases are disputed. Hopefully this is just a broad estimate and as the investigation continues on they'll narrow it down.

Even with this wide information we still do have some information about the Doe. Based on his height and estimated age he was probably an adult. That slightly narrows it down.

 

[b741ma]

the body could have been buried there after the owner purchased the land but while it was vacant.

Any information about the lots previous owner? They're probably dead by now so there's no point in questioning them but were they ever a person of interest in a missing persons case.

 

[Bit of hope]

Maybe it had something to do with the human right movement, the demonstrations in this town, fighting for racial integration or KKK activity.

Full text of "Racial and civil disorders in St. Augustine: report of the Legislative Investigation Committee"

A very small part of this very long, but very interesting read.

The Battle of the Beaches

The battle now shifted to the world famed St. Augustine
beaches, several miles east of the city proper. Here again
violent clashes between negroes seeking to integrate the
beaches and whites opposing them supplied "made to order"
footage for the TV and news camera. The fact that camera-
men always arrived on the scene well ahead of the "non-
violent" demonstrators more or less gave away the whole
show as a planned and stage-managed propaganda produc-
tion for nationwide consumption. At one point, when they
found their way into the surf barred by segretationists, the
demonstrators kneeled on the wet beach to conduct prayers.
State officers were vigorous in using their clubs on the heads
of the white counter-demonstrators. Several were severely
beaten on the head and required hospital attention.

Peace and quiet prevailed in the old city for a few days
but on July 4, 1964, some 200 robed Klansmen arrived to
stage a provocative parade. The racial truce was further
marred by a gang of white toughs attacking six Negroes
fishing from a bridge. The police later arrested nine of them
and charged them with assault and battery.

 

[Melt71]

UP58357 has no comparisons and no further updates.
Namus says the age-range is thought to be Adult - pre-30 but the age is then estimated at 31-71. Perhaps LE entered the PMI into the wrong place and these are the remains of a young person with a PMI of 31-71 years before discovery?
Still a very strange height estimate.
www.namus.gov/UnidentifiedPersons/Case#/58357/details?nav