LEE COUNTY, Fla. – A woman made an odd discovery while hunting for shells at Captiva Beach, according to WINK News.
The media outlet reported that Rebecca Dodds was shelling when she found what appeared to be the remains of some sort of animal.
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“I thought I found a whalebone or something, and I just threw it in my shell bag,” Dodds said.
Dodds later realized it was a human jaw, leaving her to wonder whether it belonged to a victim of Hurricane Ian or if it might be the subject of a missing person’s case.
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However, WINK News says it learned from an archaeologist that the jaw could have come from an indigenous person who lived in the area centuries ago.
“The No. 1 concern is that it could be recent and associated with some kind of recent, potentially, a crime, and no one can make that determination except for law enforcement,” Regional Director of the Florida Public Archaeology Network Sara Ayers-Rigsby told WINK News.
Ayers-Rigsby reportedly explained that if investigators determine the remains to have been out there for over 75 years, state archaeologists will begin working with descendants of local tribes to identify the remains and determine what to do with them.
“It’s still surreal right now. It’s kind of disbelief, but at the same time, I’m curious,” Dodds said. “It’s very sad. I do hope they can find out who. This person has a story.”
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