Police in Florida have launched an investigation after children discovered skeletal remains inside of an abandoned house.
The Highlands County Sheriff’s Office said in a press release posted on Facebook on Thursday, July 11, that the children had been “playing” inside the home — located in Avon Park in central Florida — when they came upon the remains.
Police said the children “reported” their discovery to a nearby adult, who called police. Officers arrived on the scene and determined that the remains had been “inside the home for well over a year.”
“It appears the person was using the house as a shelter,” the release said.
The Highlands County Sheriff’s Office said its detectives were working to “positively identify the person” and that the medical examiner was working on determining the person’s cause of death. Police did not provide any additional details about the remains or who owned the abandoned home.
The Highlands County medical examiner did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s inquiry about whether the deceased person had been identified yet.
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Alongside the release, the Highland County Sheriff’s Office shared a photo of officers with the forensic and crime scene departments entering the home, which was surrounded by overgrown weeds and trees.
The home appeared to be in a dilapidated state, as hinges were missing from the roof and a piece of the roof’s eaves appeared to have detached. Window shades inside the home also appeared to be askew, and the white paint of the home seemed to be peeling off.
One woman who lived nearby commented on the police department’s Facebook post saying that she got a “creepy vibe” from the house “every time” that she passed it, adding, “Why don’t they just demolish it so this doesn’t happen again and clear off the land? It’s an eyesore.”
Others praised the children for their courage in telling an adult what they found, including one person who commented, “Scary for those kids. But [at] least they told someone [or else] this person could have never gotten discovered. Hopefully it can bring closure to [the] family of this person.”
Police have asked anyone with information regarding the investigation to call 863-402-7250 or email detectives@highlandssheriff.org.
