Deputies find human remains inside septic tank

NEWBERRY, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35) - The Alachua County Sheriff’s Officer is investigating human skeletal remains found inside a septic tank.

On Monday morning just before 10 a.m., deputies were called to a home on the 21700 block of NW 52nd Place in rural Newberry. Sgt. Chris Sims said the homeowners called them very concerned after a service company pumping their septic tank discovered some large bones inside.

Alachua County’s forensics team, medical examiner, and forensic anthropologists from the University of Florida Pound Lab were called to the scene to figure out what the bones belonged to.

"They did confirm the bones that were found were the skeletal remains of a human being,” said Sims.

The remains were taken from the scene as was the waste pumped from the septic tank. Sims said investigators will now have to undergo the difficult task of sifting through that waste to find out if more remains exist inside.

"Pumping that waste back out of that truck to determine if any more smaller bones or skeletal remains exist with inside the truck,” said Sims, "a job, I'm sure, in which no one would want but we owe it to that victim and that victim's family to do our very best."

At this point Alachua County detectives don’t know how long the remains were in the tank, how they got there, or who they belong to.

Sims said the homeowners are cooperating with the investigation.