APOPKA, Fla. – Apopka police said they found human bones in a wooded area off Ocoee-Apopka Road. Investigators were in the area searching for evidence related to the disappearance of Chris George, who was last seen in 2009.
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James Hataway is a person of interest in George's disappearance, according to police. Investigators have also named Hataway as the prime suspect in the 2009 disappearance of Tracy Ocasio.
Crews continued searching Wednesday, after initially finding bones Monday. Apopka police, detectives from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and Orange County deputies are working to pump water from Lake Carter and sift through dirt looking for more evidence.
"I actually believe that the one they've found so far is probably Chris, and I'm hoping that by draining the lake, they will find Tracy as well," Ocasio's mother, Liz Ocasio said on Wednesday.
George's mother said she will not jump to conclusions until she knows who the bones belong to for sure.
"The more bones and evidence that we can gather will just befit us as far as looking into the case and trying to determine what occurred out here," Steven Popp of Apopka police said.
In a Tuesday afternoon news conference, police said the area has been searched in the past, but the water levels required air boats. During this most recent search, investigators were on foot.
After confirming the bones were human, police called George's mother, Rachael George. The bones have not been identified.
"It's going in a direction. I don't know which direction yet, but it's going in a direction. It's going to head down a new path. I look forward to seeing where it takes us," Racheal George said.
On Feb. 12, 2009, the day after George was last seen, Apopka police located George's white Nissan Xterra in the same wooded area. Officers saw George's friends Hataway and Tyler Watters walking through those woods that afternoon, according to police.
Hataway and Watters told investigators they had been searching for George, who they claimed had crashed his SUV and then wandered into the woods while high on drugs.
Two months later, surveillance cameras captured Hataway leaving The Florida Tap Room in Metro West with Ocasio. The next day, Ocoee police found Ocasio's car abandoned blocks from Hataway's home.
Hataway told investigators Ocasio had given him a ride home, and then she drove away.
Police notified Ocasio's and George's families about Monday's discovery of human bones.
"I hope it's an answer for at least one of us," said Liz Ocasio. "Since it's where Chris George went missing, it is more likely to be him. We'll keep searching for Tracy. Maybe she's in the same area."
Search teams returned to the woods Tuesday morning to look for more evidence. Detectives said they expect to continue the search for days or weeks.
"We are going to be here as long as it takes until we're satisfied all possible evidence has been gathered," Steve Popp of Apopka police said.
Hataway is locked up in the Seminole County Jail awaiting trial next month for attempted murder in another case. If convicted of that charge, Hataway faces a possible life sentence.
Watch Local 6 News for more on this story.
