Family: Body found on road in Jacksonville, house fire, both linked to missing family member

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The family of missing young man, Shawnell Spann-Mahone, told Action News Jax it was his body that was found on the side of the road Tuesday afternoon.

Spann-Mahone's uncle, Kevin Davis, said, "This kid goes missing, he doesn't call his girlfriend, doesn't call his grandmother, doesn't call me -- something's up."

It's been a week since Spann-Mahone disappeared.

Davis said the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office told his family the body found yesterday on Garden Street and Paxton Road is in fact the body of the 21-year-old.

According to JSO's missing persons' report, a house on 18th Street in Grand Park, which was covered in crime scene tape this afternoon, was the last place Spann-Mahone was seen alive.

Davis said: "I believe that [the house on 18th St.] is the crime scene. I believe that is where my nephew was murdered."

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Now it's important to point out that Action News Jax was at this house earlier this morning for a fire.

It is very unusual and rather rare for there to be such a big police presence at a home hours after a fire was put out, especially with crime scene tape up.

Davis believes, "The people came back to try and burn the house down so they could burn up the evidence."

The family tells Action News Jax they suspected the body was Spann-Mahone after seeing a picture of it taken by a bystander.

Davis says the picture showed the body had been tortured: "The picture I have is gruesome. They burnt the child, they stabbed the child, they shot the child, they kicked the child and they decapitated him."

And now the family just want answers.

"I'm offering a $10,000 award for the capture and conviction of any perpetrator that are involved in the murder of my nephew," Davis said.

Cox Media Group