Investigation continues into infant remains found in Florida

WEWAHITCHKA, Fla. (WMBB) — Investigators were back on the scene where construction workers found an infant’s body Tuesday afternoon.

They found the remains in a pile of dirt in Wewahitchka, where they’re building a fast-food restaurant at the intersection of Highway 71 and Chipola Ave.

Gulf County Sheriff’s investigators were able to confirm it was the mummified skeletal remains of an infant.

They were back at the site Wednesday with a cadaver dog searching for more clues, and more help will arrive Thursday.

“Tomorrow we have the Florida Department of Law Enforcement Crime Scene Lab coming in from Pensacola,” Gulf County Sheriff Mike Harrison said. “They have a ground-penetrating radar system that will be able to examine down in the soil and the area to detect potential anomalies there. We will go in there and explore those, excavate that area there and sift through it.”

Harrison said he’s unaware of any missing person reports that would be related to this discovery.

He confirmed there used to be a funeral home on the site.

But he says they have yet to determine the origin of the remains, saying they may have been in some of the dirt that’s been dumped on the property.

“It’s a difficult case,” Harrison said. “You’ve got an infant that didn’t have a proper burial no matter what happened, where it happened, where it originated, they didn’t have a proper burial. We’ve already been contacted by members of the community and the City of Wewahitchka that owns the cemetery and when all is said and done we will have a proper burial for this.”

The medical examiner was scheduled to perform an autopsy Wednesday.

Investigators hope it will provide more clues.

Harrison said, if necessary, the remains will be sent to experts at the universities of Florida or Tennessee to gain a clearer picture.