Marion County sheriff’s detectives have identified the human remains found Sunday in the Ocala National Forest.
Detectives say the dead man is 48-year-old Daniel Allen Jones, of Ocala. His remains were discovered off SE Forest Road 5 in Umatilla after a man who was deer hunting spotted something that looked suspicious about 200 yards into a trail. He asked a friend to bring him a shovel and when he moved some leaves and brush in the disturbed area and started digging, he said it “smelled really bad like death,” a sheriff’s office report states.
Earlier Wednesday, the sheriff’s office reported that the remains were a white male, between the ages of 45 and 55. The victim also was identified as being between 6-foot-2-inches and 6-foot-5-inches in height, a report says.
Jones’ Facebook page states that he graduated from Lake Weir High School, studied at the University of Central Florida and in June 1998 moved to Flagstaff, Ariz. The page also lists his professional skills as auto mechanic and says he was in a relationship.
Detectives are asking anyone with information about the Jones’ death to contact Detective O’Cull at (352) 732-9111. Those wishing to make anonymous tips can contact Crime Stoppers of Marion County at (352) 368-STOP (7867) or www.ocalacrimestoppers.com.