COLUMBIA COUNTY, Fla. — The Columbia County Sheriff’s Office has identified skeletal remains discovered in 1978 as Lonnie N. Reeves, born on Nov. 21, 1943. The identification, made possible through advanced genetic genealogy and DNA matching, officially closed a nearly 48-year-old cold case on Monday.
The unidentified remains were found just west of the Interstate 10 westbound rest area near the Interstate 75 interchange in Columbia County. Decades of conventional investigative methods failed to identify the individual, prompting the use of cutting-edge DNA technology by Othram Labs and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
Early examinations of the remains, including an osteological examination in 1996, provided a physical profile but could not determine a cause of death or positive identification.
The skeletal remains were originally discovered in a fenced-in area near the I-10 westbound rest area and I-75 interchange in 1978. Most of the scattered remains were located under approximately three inches of soil and pine needles. FDLE worked the original crime scene, though no incident report could be found for the initial discovery.
>>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<<
In about 1996, Robert Johnson, a Columbia County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Technician, found the remains in an evidence room while compiling a destruction order. Roberts detailed in a report that the remains were from the 1978 unidentified human remains case. Roberts contacted Sgt. H. Harrell, the original investigator, who advised that the FDLE handled the crime scene and transported the bones to Florida State University, where no cause of death was determined.
Roberts later transported the remains to Dr. Maples of the University of Florida C.A. Pound Human Identification Laboratory for an osteological examination. This examination determined the subject was a right-handed white male, 5 feet 9 inches tall, ages 35 to 45 at the time of death and likely walked with a limp. The subject had missing teeth and numerous dental restorations. Dr. Maples also could not determine a cause of death.
In about October 1996, the subject’s skull was sent to FBI lab for facial reconstruction and mitochondrial DNA extraction. In 2001, the skull was sent to Anne Coy, an FBI-trained reconstruction artist working at the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office.
Around 2010, Detectives Calvin Fenner and Debbie Marszalek were assigned the case. Records indicate the unidentified human remains’ dental records were entered into the National Crime Information Center (NCIC). Information from the case was also entered into the Violent Criminal Apprehension Program (ViCAP) and the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NAMUS). DNA samples were extracted through the President’s DNA Initiative and compared in the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) Missing Persons DNA Database. These investigative methods produced negative results, as did investigations into multiple similar cases of unsolved missing persons.
Sgt. Richard Conger was assigned the case on Feb. 23, 2024. Through speaking with other investigators, he learned skeletal remains from the case were still in evidence at the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office Evidence Section. Conger discovered the unidentified subject’s skull had been sent to the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office for facial reconstruction, but it could not be located there or at the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office. Investigator Betsydoor of the District Four Medical Examiner’s Office in Jacksonville, later confirmed they were in possession of the skull and several other bones.
On Feb. 26, 2024, the remains in the custody of the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office were sent to the FDLE Jacksonville Regional Operations Center Lab for full Y-STR DNA profile extraction. On Jan. 29, 2025, Conger received an FDLE lab report stating a partial male DNA profile was obtained. FDLE Michelle Russell advised the lab would contact a private lab for a full DNA profile extraction.
On Feb. 19, 2025, Conger received an email from Marcella Scott of the FDLE lab, advising that the remaining bone sample would be sent to Othram Labs for genetic genealogy and familial DNA testing, funded by a grant.
On Jan. 5, 2026, FDLE Forensics Supervisor Marcie Scott contacted Conger, providing an investigative leads summary from Othram Labs. The lab had searched the profile of the unidentified human remains against profiles in the Family Tree DNA Database of individuals who opted in for law enforcement matching. The profile was matched with genetic relatives suitable for forensic genetic genealogy and records research. Othram Labs recommended obtaining a reference sample to determine if genetic data supported or refuted Reeves, born Nov. 21, 1943, as the unidentified human remains.
Public family tree databases linked to this profile provided a possible sister, Linda Arendt and a son, Stephan Reeves. Conger contacted Arendt on Jan. 6, 2026. Arendt told Conger she did not know the whereabouts of her brother Lonnie, had no knowledge of whether he was alive or dead and had last seen him in the early 1970s at the beach in Sea Breeze, N.J. She confirmed Lonnie Reeves’ birth date as Nov. 21, 1943 and stated she had no idea when or where he disappeared from, but knew he was a cowboy, which could explain his injuries. She agreed to provide a DNA sample, despite never having done a consumer DNA test.
Conger then contacted New Jersey State Police Investigator Brian McGinn, who collected two buccal swabs from Arendt on Jan. 6, 2026. Investigator McGinn sent these swabs to Conger, who received them on Jan. 15, 2026. The swabs were entered into evidence and sent to the FDLE Lab in Jacksonville for testing.
On March 23, 2026, Conger received an FDLE lab report confirming that the DNA from the unidentified person and Arendt supported a possible full biological sibling relationship. The unidentified human remains were identified as Reeves, born Nov. 21, 1943.
On May 4, 2026, Investigator Jacob Price traveled to the District IV Medical Examiner’s Office in Jacksonville, Fla., to retrieve the remains of Reeves. Conger delivered the remains to Gateway Forest Lawn Funeral Home for cremation on the same day. Conger, retired Detective Debbie Marszalak and Detective Cody Woods witnessed the cremation. The disposal form was added to the case file and the case has been officially closed. Reeves was subsequently removed from the National Crime Information Center, the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System and the Violent Criminal Apprehension Program.
[DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks]
[SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.