SHIRLEY, NY – Two beachgoers on Long Island made a chilling discovery during their evening walk at Smith Point County Park in Shirley. The man and woman stumbled upon what appeared to be a human jawbone on the sand just before 5 p.m. on Monday, the day before Christmas Eve. They immediately brought the remains to a park attendant, who alerted the authorities.
The Suffolk County Medical Examiner confirmed that the bone is human, but further investigation is required to identify the individual it belonged to. Preliminary assessments suggest the jawbone likely came from a male, acccording to a local Patch reporter who spoke with police.
This unsettling find is not the first instance of human remains being discovered in the area. On March 6, 2023, a woman found a bone in the sand at the same park and notified park employees, who contacted the police. At the time, it was believed that the remains could have been linked to the TWA Flight 800 tragedy in 1996.
Earlier, on May 2, 2021, a cleaning crew discovered skeletal remains in a marshy area near Washington Drive and Forest Road East in nearby Mastic Beach. These remains were also sent to the Medical Examiner’s office for analysis and identification. By the end of the month, authorities identified a missing woman, Lisa Westford, 58, of Mastic Beach, as the person who was linked to those remains.
Detectives from the Suffolk County Police Homicide Squad are now investigating the latest case.
Authorities urge anyone with information related to the discovery to contact detectives at 631-852-6392.
