COLUMBIA COUNTY, Fla. – The Columbia County Sheriff’s Office announced Tuesday that skeletal remains found nearly 50 years ago along Interstate 75 have been identified, bringing closure to a cold case that began in 1978.
The man was identified as Lonnie Reeves, born Nov. 21, 1943, and died in 1978.
Sheriff Wallace Kitchens said remains discovered near a westbound rest area that year were scattered and partially buried. Initial examinations by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and a later review at Florida State University produced no identification, and the remains were kept in evidence storage for years.
A renewed inquiry began in 1996 after a crime scene technician re-examined the evidence. Dr. William Michaels at the University of Florida’s Human Identification Laboratory determined the victim was a white man about 5-foot-9, between 35 and 45 years old, right-handed, and showed signs of a physically demanding life, including arthritis and a healed heel fracture. A facial reconstruction and mitochondrial DNA testing in the early 2000s produced no match.
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Detectives revisited the case around 2010, entering dental records into national databases and submitting DNA to CODIS. Those efforts turned up no leads, officials said.
The case advanced after investigator Sara Conger was assigned to it in February 2024. She located the skull, which had been missing from the district four medical examiner’s office, and sent the remains to FDLE for advanced testing. A partial DNA profile obtained earlier was later submitted to a private forensic laboratory that specializes in forensic genealogy.
On Jan. 5, 2026, investigators received word that forensic genealogy had identified genetic relatives. A family member who had not seen Reeves since 1970 provided a DNA sample that confirmed the identification, officials said.
“Keepsake Reeves now has his name back, and his family can finally begin to find closure and take him home,” Kitchens said, adding that evidence and advances in forensic science made the identification possible.
Officials said the investigation determined the death appeared to be from natural causes and not the result of foul play. Columbia County credited decades of work by local and state investigators, forensic scientists, medical examiners and partner agencies for the resolution.
The sheriff’s office thanked those who worked on the case over the years and the family members who attended the announcement.