Police reopen 34-year-old case of skeleton found in woods

The initial 1990 police report was brief — a human skeleton had been found on Little Talbot Island.

A police sketch showing what the dead man would have looked like was spread far and wide, but nothing turned up to identify him or suggest who caused his death.

Now Jacksonville police are reopening the case to determine who this white man in his 50s might be.

“We are constantly looking for cases that need another look,” Detective Travis Oliver Sr. said. “Our hope is that we go back from 34 years ago and start out who he is, and then we can now start the investigation.”

A couple from Fernandina Beach found the skeleton about 4:30 p.m. Jan. 20, 1990, near what is now the South Loop Trailhead. The remains “appeared to have been there for some time,” Detective T.C. Osteen wrote in a report.

Police photos from the scene showed the skeleton clothed in blue jeans, ribs visible through a partly unbuttoned shirt and open gray jacket. The victim had a gunshot wound.

Evidence found on and around the body indicated the man had extensive dental work, sugggesting he was not homeless. He was about 6 feet tall, wore a size 13 shoe, had a 40-inch waistline and smoked a pipe.

“We know that he was probably affiliated with the government, whether the military or government employee, from evidence that we have, things as simple as pens and things like that,” Oliver said. “We also know that we have a key that belongs to a General Motors product, but we don’t have that car, which gives us indication that he was possibly not from the area.”

Anyone with information about this case is asked to contact the Sheriff’s Office at (904) 630-0500 or by email at JSOCrimeTips@jaxsheriff.org. To remain anonymous and be eligible for a cash reward, call First Coast Crime Stoppers at (866) 845-8477 (TIPS).

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