After 34 years, JSO is still working to identify a man whose remains were found in the woods

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office is spotlighting a 34-year-old cold case.

It’s in hopes of identifying a man whose remains were found in 1990 in the woods near Big Talbot Island just west of Heckscher Drive.

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JSO Homicide Detective Travis Oliver said a couple was walking through a nature trail and they found remains in the woods up against a tree.

After more than three decades, police are still searching for clues to find out who the man may be.

“We have not had that one phone call that is saying, ‘This is my loved one, this person is missing, we haven’t seen them in 34 years,’” Oliver said.

Oliver said the man died from a gunshot wound.

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“The total remains that we have recovered to this point was found in a total of three trips out there,” Oliver said.

Oliver said based on the condition of his bones and his body, he could have been there for at least 6 months before the couple even discovered him in 1990.

“In a situation like this where the victim has been in the woods that long, that area could be larger than where we normally would search because animals are taking the bones walking wherever they go with them,” Oliver said.

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All they know is the man was white, more than 50 years old, between 6′2″ to 6′4″ in height and he was a size 13 shoe.

There is no indication he was homeless and they said they found keys in his pockets to a General Motors vehicle.

Detective Oliver said what makes this case challenging to solve is they couldn’t run fingerprints.

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“Because he is skeletal, we lose that part,” Oliver said.

After all these years he was never reported missing and detectives have had no response from surrounding counties saying someone is missing that meets that physical description.

If you have any information, you are asked to contact JSO at 904-630-0500 or to remain anonymous call Crime Stoppers at 1-866-845-TIPS.

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