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Human bones found in park
The remains were found Thursday afternoon by a man walking his dog at Clam Bayou Park.
By ALEX LEARY
Published December 9, 2005
ST. PETERSBURG ? Skeletal remains discovered in a secluded waterfront park near Gulfport are likely those of a homeless person, police said Friday.
The remains were found Thursday afternoon by a man walking his dog at Clam Bayou Park in the 4400 block of 34th Avenue South.
"It looks like he was camped out there,"' St. Petersburg police Maj. Ron Hartz said. He added investigators found identifying information but were not ready to release a name.
The Medical Examiner's Office was helping with the investigation and were looking for any signs of foul play.
Experts could also extract DNA from bone marrow and run it through a national database. Police also check missing person reports.
The bones have probably been in the woods at the 2-acre park for at least three months, police said.
"At this point in time, nothing was found at the scene to immediately suggest this individual was the victim of a murder, which is why it has been initially classified as a suspicious death," police spokesman Bill Proffitt said.
Schaun Weingart, who owns a house abutting the park, said the homeless have been drawn there because it is remote. He said three or four men had been camping out there in recent months.
"I'm concerned about my kids' safety," said Weingart, 50. "This (discovery) does not give me a warm and fuzzy feeling."
[Last modified December 9, 2005, 19:41:37]
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