A manager told two workers who were clearing brush to refrain from working in the area where they found skeletal remains suspected to be involved in a deadly hanging.
A group of workers who were clearing brush in a wooded area near the back of Sugden Community Park, in East Naples, on May 21 reported they found a human skull on the ground and a length of rope hung from a tree branch.
“My crew just found skeletal remains in the woods,” the on-site project manager told a dispatcher. “I just went in there, confirmed.”
When the dispatcher asked, the caller said the remains were “100%” human.
“There’s a rope by the tree right by the skeleton,” the caller said. He later added he told his crew to avoid working in the area.
According to an incident report, Collier County authorities just after 2 p.m. May 21 responded to Sugden Community Park.
When the deputy approached the area, between 40 and 50 feet into the tree line, he saw what appeared to be a human skull on the ground.
Near the skull, the deputy wrote in his report, he saw a length of rope hung from a tree branch. The rope appeared to have a noose tied at the lower end near the skull.
On scene, authorities also found a backpack, but the details of what it carried remain redacted in the report.
Tomas Rodriguez is a Breaking/Live News Reporter for the Naples Daily News and The News-Press. You can reach Tomas at TRodriguez@usatodayco.com or 772-333-5501. Connect with him on Threads @tomasfrobeltran, Instagram @tomasfrobeltran, Facebook @tomasrodrigueznews and Bluesky @tomasfrodriguez.
This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: ‘There’s a rope by the tree’: Manager said two workers found skull
Reporting by Tomas Rodriguez, Fort Myers News-Press & Naples Daily News / Naples Daily News
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