BROWARD COUNTY, Fla. – Police are investigating the discovery of human remains in the Everglades on Monday morning.
The Broward Sheriff's Office said dispatchers received a call reporting the discovery of the skeletal remains near U.S. 27's mile marker 47.
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"We received a call from a vacationer that was actually returning home from Pioneer. He stopped by on this small roadway on the west side of U.S. 27 to urinate. He finished doing what he had to do, drove down the roadway, turned around and as he exited, he noticed a patch of the grass that seemed to be flattened," said Keyla Concepcion, of BSO.
Concepcion said the man looked around and found what he recognized to be human bones.
The bones were located about halfway down a small access road from U.S. 27 to a tower in a remote, rural part of western Broward County.
Investigators discovered some clothing with the skeleton. Police have not been able to determine whether the person was male or female.
"This is actually going to be a very long investigation by what we can tell at this point," Concepcion said. "Obviously, we're dealing with all of the elements of the weather, animals that might be out here."
While the majority of the remains were found intact in thick brush, bone fragments were found on the remote access road.
A BSO helicopter landed on U.S. 27 and picked up a crime scene photographer so that they could take pictures of the scene from the air. BSO crime scene detectives sifted through soil, looking for additional bone fragments, clues or any evidence.
"We do have clothing that is left on the scene, however that doesn't help us at this point to determine if we're dealing with a male or a female," Concepcion said.
Detectives from various departments with open missing-person cases will compare notes with BSO. Hallandale Beach police have been searching for 40-year-old Lynda Meier, who disappeared on June 4.
Police also have been looking for Marisol Ramon, 40, was last seen leaving a Miami Lakes shopping center on May 26.
"Obviously, we are going to look at missing persons or anything that might help us determine who it is that we might have out here," Concepcion said.
BSO said the remains will be taken to the medical examiner's office, where a forensic anthropologist will help to determine the person's identity and cause of death as well as how long the body was in the Everglades.
Anyone with information is asked to call Broward Crime Stoppers at 954-493-TIPS (8477).