ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — More questions remain three days after a body was found near the Matanzas Inlet in Summer Haven last week, and so far, answers have been limited.
The St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office first confirmed Friday that a body was discovered along the rocks near Old A1A and Gene Johnson Road. Since then, investigators have only said the remains have not been identified, and an autopsy is still underway.
With little official information being released, neighbors who were there the night the body was found are now sharing what they saw and heard.
Skye Taylor, who lives just steps from where the remains were discovered, shared pictures showing the scene as it unfolded. She says the area, where she regularly walks, quickly filled with deputies as they began their investigation.
Taylor says she watched as deputies climbed over the rocks wearing blue gloves, trying to assess the situation. While she wasn’t initially sure what was happening, she says one interaction stood out.
“Another deputy came up and asked me if I knew if any local woman had gone missing. I said not that I know of,” Taylor said. “So that’s why I assumed it was a female body that they found.”
Taylor also believes the timing of the discovery could point to how the body ended up along the rocks. She says that with the high tide coming in not long before, it’s possible the remains were carried in by the water, adding that people walk along the seawall all the time and likely would have noticed if it had been there earlier.
The sheriff’s office has not confirmed whether the remains belong to a woman or if investigators are working to connect the case to any missing persons.
We reached out to the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office to ask if they could confirm those details and whether they are looking into any reports of missing people in the area. We are still waiting to hear back.
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