North Naples human remains identified as missing Collier man

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Jacob “Jake” Ruddy

NORTH NAPLES, Fla. Human remains found Sunday near Immokalee and Livingston roads are those of a man who went missing in November 2016.

Jacob “Jake” Ruddy was 25 when his family reported him missing, the Collier County Sheriff’s Office said. His body was found in a wooded area by the 4900 block of Sandra Bay Drive.

A homeless camp is nearby, sheriff’s office spokeswoman Karie Partington said.

Ruddy told his family he was going to the 24 Club off Pine Ridge Road and was supposed to meet friends afterward, but he never showed up, Southwest Florida Crime Stoppers said in March.

He was fighting a heroin addiction at the time of his disappearance, his family said.

Sheriff’s detectives entered him in state and national missing person databases, publicized the case, checked area hospitals and jails, interviewed witnesses and followed up on leads but were unable to locate him, the sheriff’s office said.

Ruddy left behind a girlfriend and a 2-year-old son.

The death investigation continues, with the sheriff’s office, the medical examiner’s office and members of the Florida Gulf Coast University’s Forensic Anthropology team working to determine the cause of death, if possible, the sheriff’s office said.

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