June 1, 2026, 5:25 p.m. ET
Construction workers discovered partial human skeletal remains in a wooded lot off Leonard Reid Avenue in Sarasota on Friday, May 29, according to the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office.
The approximate age, sex, manner of death, and how long the remains have been at the site has not been determined, the sheriff’s office said in a press release. Only one set of remains was located.
Members of the SCSO Crime Scene Unit, Criminal Investigations Section, Emergency Response Team, and Sarasota K9 Search and Rescue searched the wooded area and attempted to locate additional remains and any potential evidence over the weekend.
Florida Gulf Coast University’s Human Identity & Trauma Analysis program and the District 12 Medical Examiner’s Office also helped to locate and identify the remains.
Leonard Reid Avenue is in Newtown. Leonard Reid was a pioneer of Overtown, the first Black community in Sarasota, in what is now known as the Rosemary District.
If you have any information regarding this case, please contact the Criminal Investigations Section at 941-861-4900.
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