PUTNAM COUNTY, Fla. — Josephine Blocker maintains hope her missing granddaughter, Nyeisha Nelson, will be found safe.
“I’m leaning and I’m depending on the Lord,” said Blocker.
Nelson, a 20-year-old mother from Crescent City, was last seen Feb. 11 after dropping off her 5-year-old daughter at Middleton-Burney Elementary School.
Nelson’s little girl is now in Blocker’s care.
“I can’t get too upset and show a whole lot of emotion, you know, to try to keep the baby calm,” said Blocker. “Because she’s only five, and she senses a lot of stuff going on.”
Investigators found Nelson’s 2008 Honda Accord in the woods along Old Highway 17 — near the intersection of Smiley Store Road on Thursday.
The investigation then shifted to a heavily wooded area near the intersection of County Road 308 and Palmer Sawmill Road just outside of Crescent City.
That’s where investigators found human remains at about 8 a.m. Saturday.
Investigators said the remains have not yet been identified.
The Putnam County Sheriff’s Office stated the District 23 medical examiner began an autopsy of the remains on Monday afternoon.
Deputies said fingerprints, dental records and DNA may be needed to positively identify the remains.
The sheriff’s office reported Saturday investigators could not determine the gender of the remains.
Putnam County’s chief deputy, Col. Joseph Wells, did not reveal how deputies were alerted to the remains.
However, Wells did say the remains were discovered over the course of the investigation into Nelson’s disappearance.
Blocker shared her reaction to news of the unidentified remains being discovered.
“We don’t know for sure whether it’s her or not,” said Blocker. “You just have to wait and see what the investigation says. So I’m just trying to stay calm.”
Since the remains have not yet been identified, deputies said they’ll continue treating Nelson’s disappearance as a missing person case at this stage of the investigation.
As a result, investigators are asking anyone who may have seen Nelson or her car since Feb. 11 to come forward.
Family members hope someone speaks up and provides the answers they’re looking for.
“If anybody seen or heard from her, just to call and let us know if she’s all right,” said Blocker.
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