Missing Jacksonville man leads to murder arrest after body found in field

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office announced Tuesday the arrest of a man charged with Murder after the body of an adult missing since November 2022 was located buried in a field.

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According to JSO, in late November 2022, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office was made aware of a missing adult. The victim, an adult male was reported missing and had not been seen in reportedly several weeks.

Detectives from the Missing Persons Unit initially investigated the victim’s disappearance. During the course of the investigation following several interviews, sources showed that the victim was allegedly beaten and buried by 45-year-old Reginald Dwayne House.

In May 2023, due to the information obtained by the Missing Persons Detectives, the investigation was transferred to detectives of the JSO Cold Case Unit for further follow-up.

A search warrant was reportedly executed at a residence located in the 1700 block of Starratt Rd.

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As detectives continued to conduct interviews and work through the details of the investigation, JSO reported that the victim was located in the 200 block of Elm St. buried in a field.

The victim’s remains were taken to the Medical Examiner’s Office where they were positively identified as 44-year-old Philip M. Curtiss.

On Monday, November 13, 2023, the suspect, House, who was already incarcerated at the Pre-trial Detention Facility on unrelated charges was arrested for Murder and Abuse of a Dead Human Body.

This is an ongoing investigation and will be updated when details arrive.

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