Tampa

Police Identify Remains as Florida Teen Who Went Missing From Home in 2017

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  • Police say a person working in a rural area of Manatee County, located between Sarasota and Tampa, found the skeletal remains.

Police say they have found the remains of a teen who went missing from his home near Sarasota nearly a year and a half ago.

NBC affiliate WFLA-TV reports officers announced the discovery of those remains identified as Jabez Spann, who was 14-years-old when he went missing from his home on September 4, 2017.

Police say a person working in a rural area of Manatee County, located between Sarasota and Tampa, found skeletal remains that were linked to the teen through dental records. Officials did not identify how long the remains had been there, but say it was in an area he was not known to visit.

Investigators say Spann may have witnessed the murder of another man one week before his disappearance, but that was not confirmed during a Tuesday press conference.

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