LAKE COUNTY, Fla. – Authorities have identified remains found in Clermont as belonging to a man who was reported missing this year, but had not been seen since 2015.
The remains of 35-year-old Michael Shaver were found in March buried under a concrete slab and fire pit on his wife Laurie Shaver's property on Sandy Pines Road.
Authorities said they were only alerted that Shaver was missing in February after a friend contacted them and said that he and Shaver's family had not seen or heard from Shaver since 2015.
Lake County deputies said they performed a well-being check in February, and Laurie Shaver said she hadn't seen him since 2015. She allowed deputies to look inside the home, but as deputies moved outside, she stopped cooperating and requested an attorney, officials said.
A human bone, now identified as Shaver's, was found about two weeks after that initial well-being check.
Neighbors said in February that Shaver was normally seen working in the yard before his disappearance.
"Then all of a sudden he was gone, and some other guy moved in," said Curt Ruhl, who lives across the street from Shaver's home.
Laurie Shaver was later named as a person of interest in her husband's disappearance. The couple has two children.
Shaver's cause of death is unknown pending further testing by the Lake County Medical Examiner's Office.
Lt. John Herrell with the Lake County Sheriff's Office said the investigation is still active and ongoing.