Workers find human remains while renovating home in Magnolia Gardens

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — An empty dug hole is left behind after two feet were found sticking out of the ground in the back of a Magnolia Gardens home.

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“We saw a sock around it, looked like fingers, it looked like toes but we knew it was human remains,” the homeowner said.

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Police investigated in the backyard of a Sunny Acres Drive home Thursday after finding someone’s feet in the ground, but who the person is and how they died remains a mystery.

The home has been under renovation for roughly 2-3 weeks. The owner of the property didn’t want to be identified for safety concerns but said he and some workers stumbled upon the finding.

“We were walking through and trying to see what else we need to do to renovate the house to make it prettier and when we got there we were like what’s over there? We saw something sticking out the ground,” the homeowner said.

ORIGINAL STORY: Human remains found the backyard of a home in Northwest Jacksonville

The homeowner said there was a renter before the renovations and squatters were there for a bit. Once he went to clean things up he said the house was a mess.

“We saw a lot of paraphernalia and the house was in disarray,” he said. “I was happy to get the house back, throw out the junk outside we cut the year, clean the yard, and didn’t notice this over here. I constantly came around here to lock up the house, board up the house trying to make sure it’s safe for the neighborhood.”

Blue tents were up in the backyard as crime scene investigators searched for evidence. The case is now in the hands of the medical examiner’s office until they learn how that person died.

The new homeowner said his heart breaks for the family impacted.

“I want to offer my condolences to whoever they found back there,” he said. “I wish that on no one’s family that they have to find their loved one was buried in a shallow grave.”

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The medical examiner’s office will figure out the exact cause of death. The homeowner said he hopes the family gets the answers they’re looking for.

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