SARASOTA --
Questions are being raised about remains found in Sarasota Monday afternoon.
- Death investigation after human remains found in Sarasota creek
- Family speculation ongoing that the remains could be of Jabez Spann
- Spann, then 14, has been missing from Sarasota since Labor Day 2017
Human remains were found around 3:30 p.m. Monday in a creek in the 1900 block of Gillespie Avenue.
Crime scene technicians responded to the scene. Officials said the remains were found in water and were skeletal. It was unclear how long the body had been in the water, officials said.
An investigation is ongoing and authorities said they are working hard to identify the remains.
"We're working as diligently and as quickly as possible to learn who the remains belong to," said Sarasota Police Public Information Officer Genevieve Judge.
Family speculation is ongoing that the remains could be of Jabez Spann, the missing teen last seen on Labor Day 2017 at a family barbeque near 22nd Street - about a mile from where the remains were found.
"I want him back alive but right now he’s been gone seven months and we know something terrible happened to a 14-year-old child," said Latohya Jake, Spann’s aunt. "And if it is him we’ll have closure. We’re suffering not knowing what happened to him."
Officials said it could take weeks or even months to determine an identity.
The medical examiner's office said it is way too early to even determine a race, sex or age.
"The Spann case remains a high profile case," Judge said. "Our detectives are keeping in close touch with Jabez's family."