Authorities discover human remains of a Sarasota missing teenager

Reporter: Morgan Rynor
Published:
The remains were found of this missing 14-year-old. (WINK News photo)
The remains were found of this missing 14-year-old. (WINK News photo)

Investigators just recovered the remains of a teen nearly a year-and-half after he vanished. The 14-year-old disappeared from his family’s Labor Day party in Sarasota.

The Sarasota police chief said while this closes one chapter of a missing person case, it is now opening up another one, turning it to a death investigation. Authorities are trying to figure out how a 14-year-old boy ended up in a rural part of Manatee County that he was not known to go to.

On Saturday afternoon, a man found the skeletal remains while working on a fence line in a rural area west of I-75. On Tuesday, forensic dental experts compared the teeth and they were a match for Jabez Spann.

If you remember, Spann was last seen Sept. 4, 2017, while leaving a family member’s home. He was reported missing the next day. It is believed he may have witnessed a murder.

Local and state law enforcement all assisted in this high profile case, even the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is unclear if the remains have been in the location where they were found for an extended period or were transported there.

But the remains were fully skeletonized.

Since it is now a death investigation, details like whether or not there were clothes on are not being released yet. Sarasota Police believe the key to solving the case is within the community.

The family was notified a few hours ago. They were heartbroken upon hearing the news.

 

Trust WINK News to stay on top of this ongoing investigation

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