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#Post#: 1564--------------------------------------------------
FORT MYERS 5: Victim A, HM, 26-45 - One of eight skeletons found
in Fort Myers - March 2007
By: Scorpio Date: February 11, 2020, 2:51 am
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HTML https://i.imgur.com/D6rcXvvl.jpg
HTML https://www.namus.gov/UnidentifiedPersons/Case#/7645
Several skeletonized bodies found in close proximity in a wooded
area. The degree of skeletonization suggested death occured at
least several years before the discovery of the remains.
Estimated to be in late twenties to mid forties at time of
death. Most likely of European descent and may include Hispanic
ethnicity Degenerative changes indicate decedent was in his 4th
decade, but these degenerative changes may result from habitual
lifeways. Believed to be homeless with a transient style of
living.
#Post#: 1565--------------------------------------------------
Re: FORT MYERS 5: Victim A, HM, 26-45 - One of eight skeletons f
ound in Fort Myers - March 2007
By: Scorpio Date: February 11, 2020, 2:51 am
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HTML http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/1031umfl.html
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Date of Discovery: March 23, 2007
Location of Discovery: Fort Meyers, Lee County, Florida
Estimated Date of Death: 1987-2001
State of Remains: Skeletal
Cause of Death: Homicide
Physical Description
Estimated Age: 26-45 years old
Race: White and/or Hispanic
Sex: Male
Height: 5'0" to 5'7"
Weight: Unknown
Hair Color: Unknown
Eye Color: Unknown
Distinguishing Marks/Features: In life, he was injured in both
calves and ankles. Healed fractures to his right ribs (1-4) and
chest. Periositis of his calf bones and left forearm bone.
Defect of sternum (congenital vs. trauma). He may have lived a
transient lifestyle.
Identifiers
Dentals: Available. No current dental care. He had large
unfilled cavities, an abscess, old silver fillings and
periodontal disease. He had three out of four wisdom teeth.
Dental work consistent with US standards.
Fingerprints: Not available.
DNA: Available.
Clothing & Personal Items
Clothing: Unknown.
Jewelry: Unknown
Additional Personal Items: Unknown
Circumstances of Discovery
On March 23, 2007, a land surveyor discovered two human skulls
in a wooded area near Rockfill and Arcadia Streets. Fort Myers
police, with the help of area agencies, cadaver dogs, and
forensic experts, recovered a total of eight sets of skeletal
remains.
Investigators found no clothing nor remnants of coffins, body
bags or anything else that might be used to hold human remains.
There were no footprints or other signs that anyone had recently
been to the scene.
The men, who would become known as the "Fort Myers Eight," were
found within 50 yards of one another, and had been killed
sometime between 1987 and 2001. There was no skin or clothing
left on the remains. There were no signs of trauma immediately
evident.
A forensic examination of the remains indicated that all eight
were men ranging from 18 to 49 years old. Seven of the eight men
had first-rate dental care. One of the men was believed to have
been homeless or had a rough life based on bone damage and poor
dental care.
The area where the remains were located is owned by the City of
Fort Myers. The location is isolated and the roads consist
mostly of sandy dirt.
Thanks to DNA, police were able to identify three of the eight
men - two in 2007, and another in 2008.
The remaining cases, in addition to this one are: 1033UMFL,
1035UMFL, 1036UMFL and 1037UMFL.
#Post#: 1566--------------------------------------------------
Re: FORT MYERS 5: Victim A, HM, 26-45 - One of eight skeletons f
ound in Fort Myers - March 2007
By: Scorpio Date: February 11, 2020, 2:52 am
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HTML https://unidentified.wikia.org/wiki/Fort_Myers_John_Doe_(Victim_A)
[img]
HTML https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/unidentified/images/8/82/Fortmyersjd2.jpg/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/200?cb=20190325222953[/img]
Fort Myers John Doe (Victim A)
Fort Myers John Doe was a man whose remains were found in 2007,
along with seven other men. Known as the Fort Myers Eight, five
of these men remain unidentified. They are possibly victims of
serial killer Daniel Conahan.
Description
He had previously injured both of his calves and ankles.
He had healed fractures of four of his right ribs.
He had a deformity of his sternum.
Unlike the other Fort Myers Eight victims, he is thought to
have lived a transient lifestyle.
#Post#: 1567--------------------------------------------------
Re: FORT MYERS 5: Victim A, HM, 26-45 - One of eight skeletons f
ound in Fort Myers - March 2007
By: Scorpio Date: February 11, 2020, 2:53 am
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HTML http://www.nbcnews.com/id/20236967/ns/nbc_nightly_news_with_brian_williams/t/gruesome-mystery-eight-skeletons-forest/
Eight unidentified skeletons found in Fla. forest
HTML http://media3.s-nbcnews.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/070812/070812_trees_hmed_1p.grid-6x2.jpg
Stephanie Himango / NBC News - Eight human skeletons were
found in this melaleuca forest in Ft. Myers, FL.
FT MYERS, FLORIDA — On the morning of March 23rd, around 10
o'clock, Detective Sgt. Jennifer Soto received a phone call that
would lead her and other officers into a dark forest, and
involve them in an unsettling mystery.
The caller said a human skull had just been found in a thick
stand of melaleuca trees off Arcadia Road. At first, Soto and
her partner were skeptical, because the area had long been used
as a dumping ground by hunters disposing of hog and alligator
remains.
Walking through the thick brush, however, it didn't take long
for them to confirm the report was true. In fact, there was much
more than just one human skull.
"Immediately, the officers had discovered that where the one
skull was, there was a second. And within minutes I would say,
the third had been discovered," Soto recalled.
"By seven o'clock that night, when we had branched out, we had a
total of eight skeletons." When the news broke publicly, it drew
lots of attention. "It's kind of scary that you know there's all
these bodies," said Breanna Rohauer, an area resident.
An unusual crime scene
The first skull was discovered about 50 yards from a dirt road
by an ecologist who was surveying the land for a developer. He
was the man who called police.
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The eight skulls and more than a thousand other bones collected
by investigators were scattered around a 200-square yard area,
most of them hidden by roots, plants, leaves and other ground
cover. None of the bodies had been buried.
The Ft. Myers Police Department declared the area a crime scene,
and called the Florida Department of Law Enforcement--the state
police--for assistance.
"It's just not normal to have eight bodies in a wooded area,
that's just not normal," said Soto. For the next weeks, officers
from several other departments helped with the meticulous search
of the area. They used screens to sift through the dirt, set up
grids, and brought in cadaver dogs to help find the remains.
One of the dogs was named Bones.
By studying the plants and insects found nearby, a botanist and
an entomologist helped determine how long ago the bodies ended
up here. A forensic dentist also lent her expertise.
Forensic anthropologist Heather Walsh-Haney, from Florida Gulf
Coast University, was invited to map out the scene, and to
predict where bones may have been carried away by groundwater
and animals.
"The amounts of remains we found here was remarkable," she said.
"I'd say we have about 90 percent of each and every skeleton."
In previous years, Walsh-Haney had helped identify the victims
of the 9-11 World Trade Center attack, the Valujet airplane
crash and Hurricane Katrina. Even for her the Ft. Myers scene
was unusual, because no one knew the victims' histories.
"This is different in that we don't know what happened, what
brought these individuals here," she said.
Some details, but no names
After combing through the scene, and working inside the Lee
County Medical Examiners Office, experts were able to determine
that all of the victims were white males, perhaps some of them
Hispanic. Their ages ranged from 18 to 49.
It was estimated they were placed in the woods between 1980 and
2000.
All but one of the victims had good teeth, and had obviously
taken care of them. "That told me," said Walsh-Haney, "that they
had the wherewithal, the finances, to seek out what can be very
expensive dental work."
Investigators say no clothing was found, nor was there any
evidence of the medical paraphernalia that would typically come
from funeral homes. Dr. Walsh-Haney said she found evidence of
healed bone fractures on some of the skeletal remains, but would
not say whether she found any evidence to indicate how the men
died.
Many theories but no conclusions
The police say while they don't know what happened years ago in
the melaleuca forest, they have been presented with a number of
theories.
Most prevalent, and quite upsetting to many local residents, is
the idea a serial killer may have used the area to lure or hide
his victims. Some suggest this could be the work of an
unscrupulous funeral home director who dumped bodies in the
woods rather than dispose of them properly.
Other theories involve victims of human trafficking or mass
suicides. A few ideas suggested by the public are even more
inventive.
"We have heard everything from people believing that it was the
plane that went missing in the Bermuda Triangle, to a mob hit in
Tampa, to children who went missing on a spring break trip,"
said Soto. Although there have been widely reported serial
killing and funeral home investigations in Southwest Florida in
the past, detectives insist they are not embracing any one
theory, but are meticulously gathering evidence, and are
following wherever it might lead.
"I simply can't work on speculations. I have to focus on the
facts, and until I know them, I can't take this in a direction,"
said Soto. "To do so would be reckless at this point in time."
Identification the key
Most frustrating for police is that they have not yet been able
to identify any of the eight victims. Investigators believe once
they learn the name of just one person the case will accelerate.
"We've got to figure out who these people were before we can
move forward," said Soto. "Were they all connected? Did these
eight people know each other, or were they simply random people
who had no interlinkings?"
At the medical examiner's office, Walsh-Haney, the forensic
anthropologist, analyzed the skeletal remains in order to come
up with the sex and estimated ages of the victims.
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From the bones, experts are now gathering DNA samples, while
other specialists are measuring the skulls in order to build
models that attempt to replicate the victims' faces.
"What that first identification will do for us in terms of the
investigation is give us a name," Walsh-Haney said. "With that
name come family members and friends who may have known where
this individual was when he was last seen."
Police are asking the public for help, and are urging anyone
with a missing relative who matches the descriptions and time
frame of the case to contact them. They may be asked to give a
cheek DNA swab.
Soto said all leads are investigated, adding that some new ones
are currently being checked. "I review every tip that comes in."
"A cold case to say the least"
With the searches complete, and detectives and forensic experts
away from the scene now, the stand of melaleuca trees near
Arcadia Road sits in eerie silence. Only a few areas that were
scraped clear by investigators, and some left-over strips of
yellow police crime tape hint at the massive search here.
Police describe their effort as the largest excavation of human
skeletal remains in Florida history. While they are still trying
to learn crucial details, investigators are treating the case as
a criminal investigation. They also assure the public that
there is no need for alarm, because the evidence suggests that
whatever happened here occurred years ago.
"This is a cold case to say the least," said Walsh-Haney. "But
I have to keep telling myself that this is never a cold case to
a family member."
With that in mind, the pursuit of this Florida mystery proceeds,
with a team of detectives and experts working hard for that one
break--that one name.
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