Images reveal remains, tombstone unearthed at Jacksonville construction site

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – More than a week after human remains were uncovered at a construction site on Jacksonville’s Northside, News4Jax has obtained photos that were taken at the scene.

The photos add to the mystery. Images reveal bones, rocks and old wood.

In another image, a tombstone might be the biggest clue. In respect to the family, News4Jax has chosen to withhold the name on the tombstone.

The name is of a man who died in 1936. He was from Georgia, and he was in the Army as part of a labor battalion.

The new information comes after News4Jax learned of a church -- Wesley Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church -- which once stood in a community known as Eastport or Pollywood.

READ: Document shows church once stood on site where remains found

The state archaeologist is investigating the case, along with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.

It could take months for investigators to positively identify the remains. Crews have confirmed the remains are of “multiple people.”

There is also a petition on change.org to preserve the Eastport/Pollywood site. The petition says it “seeks to appeal to the mayor and City Council to nicely and appropriately landscape the new I-95/I-295 interchange, to name the area “Pollytown Memorial Interchange” and to place a historical marker at the location where the remains were found.”


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