The investigation into human remains discovered near the Baker County line continues.
Columbia County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a wooded area along SE County Line Road around 4:15 p.m. Monday after remains were discovered by a person walking in the area.
The investigation has been ongoing since then with the scene secured Monday night and Tuesday night. According to the CCSO, cadaver K9s from Ocala will assist in the search today.
Sgt. Steven Khachigan, a spokesman with the CCSO, said the remains were found near the roadway about half of a mile south from U.S. Highway 90.
When deputies responded Monday afternoon, they confirmed the suspected human remains in the woods, leading to detectives and forensics responding to investigate.
On Tuesday, a grid search was conducted by detectives and the CCSO drone assisted in the search process. Additional skeletal remains were found during that search.
The cause of death and the identity of the deceased are not yet known.
Once the search is completed and the scene is fully processed, CCSO detectives will assist the Medical Examiner’s Office in Jacksonville to attempt identification and the cause.
Khachigan said it is too early in the process to know if foul play was involved or how long the remains have been there.
“With the skeletal remains, it’s going to take a longer process to determine anything,” he said.
As of Tuesday night, Khachigan said authorities have no reason to believe there is more than the remains of one person.
“These types of cases are uncommon in our area,” Sheriff Mark Hunter said in a release. “There are a lot of questions we don’t have the answers to yet, but I am confident in our team’s ability to exhaust every lead and bring closure to this case.”
Anyone with possible information about the case or the skeletal remains is asked to contact CCSO at 386-758-1095 or through the Crime Stoppers of Columbia County at 386-754-7099 or online at www.columbiacrimestoppers.net.