Florida police are asking the public for help tracking down the family of a Sarasota woman whose skeletal remains were found buried in the woods 16 years ago, hoping to find answers as to who’s responsible for her death and why her family never reported her missing.The Sarasota County Sheriff’s OfficeannouncedWednesday that investigators finally identified the victim as Jeana Lynn Burrus, a 39-year-old mother who lived on Pauline Avenue in Sarasota, Fla., with her husband James Burrus and their son James Burrus, Jr.
Jeana’s body was first discovered in 2007, buried in what police described as “a shallow grave in a wooded area of Ashton Ct. in Sarasota.”
Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office
Detectives were unable to identify Jeana’s body for more than a decade and a half before advancements in DNA testing helped crack the case, according to the sheriff office’s press release this week.“The investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death remained cold until November of 2022, when the SCSO, working in conjunction with DNA Labs International Inc., utilized current advancements in DNA testing and genetic genealogy to make a positive identification,” the office said.Now, authorities are “seeking information from anyone familiar with the victim” or her husband, who they say never reported his wife missing.
Jeana Burrus, James Burrus and James Burrus, Jr.Sarasota County Sheriffâs Office
Sarasota County Sheriffâs Office
Police say James, her husband, worked at a local body shop in the 5600 block of Sarah Avenue in Sarasota, and the couple’s son attended Gulf Gate Elementary School between 2005 and 2006.
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Jeana Burrus.Sarasota County Sheriffâs Office
James and his son no longer live in the family’s old Sarasota home on Pauline Ave., according toFox13. The current resident renting the home told the outlet that investigators had searched the house in recent months but found nothing.
Fox13 also noted that investigators searched the body shop where James previously worked, according to the shop’s new owners. That investigation also turned up nothing, according to the report.
Police are now asking for “anyone who may have known either Jeana or James” to contact the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office, as investigators continue to search for clues in her disappearance and death.
source: people.com
