A community member from Harborview was stunned to learn that human remains were discovered near his home, as police investigate the mysterious find.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Miguel Sampson has lived in his Harborview neighborhood home since 2018. He had no idea human remains were buried just feet from his backyard.
“You wouldn’t think that at all,” Sampson said.
It started Wednesday night when a neighbor called police after finding what turned out to be a human bone lying on the street. JSO brought in a K-9, which led investigators to the backyard of a home on Lincrest Drive. They started digging, and kept digging well into the next day.
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Sampson said he noticed the lights in his backyard the night investigators arrived, but had no idea what was going on.
“I looked up at my backyard, and I saw a bunch of lights out there, but I didn’t know what it was,” he said.
When First Coast News told him what investigators had found, his reaction was immediate.
“Oh man, wow, that gave me goosebumps. I didn’t know that.”
Sampson said he knew the man who lived in that house, but said it has been a long time since he has seen him.
“We would communicate back and forth every now and then,” he said. “I just hadn’t seen him in a long time.”
Neighbors said no one had been actively living in that home for several years. The identity of the remains has not yet been confirmed.
For Sampson, the hardest part is knowing something like this was happening so close to home in a neighborhood he has always considered peaceful.
“It’s very surprising, especially in this kind of neighborhood, because it’s so quiet,” he said.
But despite the shock, he is clear about what he wants to see happen next.
“If it’s something that’s been done, justice should be served.”
JSO is working with the State Attorney and the Medical Examiner’s Office as the investigation continues. First Coast News is still working to learn how long the remains were there. We will update this story as we learn more.