Human remains unearthed on ancient Native American burial ground following Nicole

GO RIGHT NOW. INVESTIGATIONS GOING ON AFTER TWO COAL AND EARTH HUMAN REMAINS IN MARTIN COUNTY. ARI HYDE SPOKE TO THE MAN WHO MADE THE STARTLING DISCOVERY ON HUTCHINSON ISLAND. JUST A COUPLE OF DAYS AGO. THIS WAS ALL SAND, ALL BEACH AND THEN HURRICANE NICOLE CAME THROUGH AND UNEARTH ALL OF THESE ROCKS AND ALSO UNEARTH THE REMAINS OF AT LEAST SIX PEOPLE BELIEVED TO BE MEMBERS OF THE SEMINOLE TRIBE. THURSDAY MORNING, RESIDENTS WERE WALKING ALONG CHASTAIN BEACH WANTING TO SEE WHAT DAMAGE HURRICANE NICOLE LEFT BEHIND. INSTEAD, THEY FOUND NICOLE HAD REVEALED SOMETHING THAT HAD BEEN HERE ALL ALONG. WE ENDED UP WALKING DOWN THE BEACH A LITTLE BIT AND UNDER THE MANGROVES WE FOUND A SOME SKULLS AND BONES. THEY CALLED 911. INVESTIGATORS WITH THE MARTIN COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE WERE QUICKLY ON SCENE. THE BONES ARE FRAGMENTED. SO THERE’S A LOT OF SMALL PIECES OF BONES RIGHT NOW WE’RE AT SIX HUMAN SKULLS. IT’S NOT THE FIRST TIME. REMAINS HAVE BEEN FOUND HERE. IT HAPPENED AFTER STORMS IN 2012 AND 2019. AND JUST LIKE THEN, INVESTIGATORS BELIEVE THESE ARE REMAINS OF MEMBERS OF THE SEMINOLE TRIBE THAT HAD BEEN EIGHT FEET UNDERGROUND. IT’S JUST A SURREAL, SURREAL FEELING. WE’RE WALKING ON THIS BEACH AND YOU DON’T KNOW THAT ALL THESE SKULLS AND BONES AND IS UP RIGHT UNDER YOUR FEET. BRADY CALLS IT SURREAL, BUT MEMBERS OF THE SEMINOLE TRIBE CALL IT THEIR ANCESTORS AND ONLY WANT THEIR ANCESTORS TO BE ALLOWED TO REST IN PEACE. THINK OF YOUR OWN FAMILIES OR ANYONE’S FAMILIES. WE WANT ANYONE FROM OUR PAST THAT HAVE PASSED ON. TREATED WITH THE SAME LEVEL OF RESPECT AS ANYONE ELSE. AND THE SHERIFF’S OFFICE HAS PROMISED TO DO THAT. BUT FIRST, THEY NEED TO MAKE SURE THESE ARE, IN FACT, FROM THE SEMINOLE TRIBE. THE SEMINOLE TRIBE SAYS THEY ALREADY KNOW KNOW THAT BECAUSE OF WHERE THEY WERE FOUND, THAT REGARDLESS OF WHAT TIME, OF YEAR THEY WERE FROM, THAT THESE ARE SIMILAR ANCESTORS. SO WE WILL MAKE SURE THAT THEY GET RETURNED HOME SOMEWHERE SAFE. SO WHAT HAPPENS NEXT? THE BONES RIGHT NOW ARE WITH THE MEDICAL EXAMINER’S OFFICE. THEY’RE GOING TO TRY TO FIGURE OUT HOW OLD THEY ARE AND MAYBE GET SOME DNA OFF OF THEM IF THEY CAN, IN FACT, SHOW THEY ARE MEMBERS OF THE SEMINOLE TRIBE. THE TRIBE TELLS ME THEY WILL TRY TO CARRY THEM AS CLOSE TO THIS SPOT AS POSSIBLE.

Martin County officials launched an investigation after human remains were unearthed on Hutchinson Island on Thursday following Nicole.Sheriff's Office officials said the high surf led to human remains becoming visible on Chastain Beach."We are working as if it’s a crime scene out of an abundance of caution," said Martin County Sheriff's Office Chief John Budensiek. "These remains would normally be about eight feet under the beach floor here, so it’s most likely an Indian burial ground."Deputies said ancient human remains were also uncovered in this area following Hurricane Dorian in 2019 and Hurricane Sandy in 2012.Investigators said Dakota Brady found six human skulls and several small bones in the rocks along the beach on Thursday morning. Brady said he was amazed at the idea of those remains being there all this time."It's a surreal feeling," he said. "We're walking on this beach, and you don't know that all these skulls and bones and everything are right under your feet."The area is an ancient Native American burial ground, and federally protected land, according to officials. People are forbidden from digging for ancient artifacts or human remains.Representatives of the Seminole Tribe of Florida said they were disappointed their ancestors had been disturbed and asked the remains be treated with the utmost respect."Think of your own families or anyone's families," said Juan Cancel, assistant director of the tribal historic preservation office for the Seminole Tribe of Florida. "We want anyone from our past that has passed on treated with the same level of respect as anyone else."The bodies will undergo age and DNA testing by the medical examiner's office, and if they're positively identified as ancient human remains, they'll be sent to a university in the state for historical preservation, Budensiek said. This is a developing story and will be updated as details become available.

MARTIN COUNTY, Fla. —

Martin County officials launched an investigation after human remains were unearthed on Hutchinson Island on Thursday following Nicole.

Sheriff's Office officials said the high surf led to human remains becoming visible on Chastain Beach.

"We are working as if it’s a crime scene out of an abundance of caution," said Martin County Sheriff's Office Chief John Budensiek. "These remains would normally be about eight feet under the beach floor here, so it’s most likely an Indian burial ground."

Deputies said ancient human remains were also uncovered in this area following Hurricane Dorian in 2019 and Hurricane Sandy in 2012.

Investigators said Dakota Brady found six human skulls and several small bones in the rocks along the beach on Thursday morning.

Brady said he was amazed at the idea of those remains being there all this time.

"It's a surreal feeling," he said. "We're walking on this beach, and you don't know that all these skulls and bones and everything are right under your feet."

The area is an ancient Native American burial ground, and federally protected land, according to officials. People are forbidden from digging for ancient artifacts or human remains.

The @MartinFLSheriff's Office believes Hurricane Nicole unearthed ancient Native American human remains on Hutchinson Island. @WPBF25News pic.twitter.com/JJUPezrzti
— Steve King WPBF (@WPBF_Steve) November 10, 2022

Representatives of the Seminole Tribe of Florida said they were disappointed their ancestors had been disturbed and asked the remains be treated with the utmost respect.

"Think of your own families or anyone's families," said Juan Cancel, assistant director of the tribal historic preservation office for the Seminole Tribe of Florida. "We want anyone from our past that has passed on treated with the same level of respect as anyone else."

The bodies will undergo age and DNA testing by the medical examiner's office, and if they're positively identified as ancient human remains, they'll be sent to a university in the state for historical preservation, Budensiek said.

This is a developing story and will be updated as details become available.

Human remains unearthed on ancient Native American burial ground following Nicole

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