Man Finds Decomposing Body In The Backyard Of His Rental Property While Cleaning It Up

Police have opened an investigation into an incident wherein a property owner found a decomposing body in his backyard. The owner of the rental property was cleaning the vacant plot when he found human remains.

According to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, they received a call Wednesday afternoon from a man who found a body on West Ninth Street near St. Clair Street, reported News4Jax.

Sgt. Steve Rudlaff, with the Sheriff’s Office, told reporters that the body was located toward a fence, several feet away from the house. "It’s been there for a while, so a lot of it had just been natural foliage fallen, but yeah, the body was partially covered," Rudlaff added.

The body has not been identified. It is also unclear whether it was a male or female. The body has been moved to the medical examiner's office where an autopsy will be performed. "Once the autopsy is performed, we should have a better understanding and hopefully be able to work on identifying the individual as well as the cause of death," Rudlaff said.

The officer added that the property owner has been cooperating with the investigation. "We are reaching out to past renters and talking to the neighbors, trying to get information. We do know that the house has been vacant for a very short time," Rudlaff said.

Meanwhile, a woman who lives across the street told the News4JAX her neighbor recently moved out. "Well, I noticed my neighbors moved out two or three weeks ago and that’s the most I’ve seen. Like, I didn’t even see them move out. All I know is we came home the next day and everything was outside," the neighbor said. Other residents in the area have also reported seeing officers searching the front and back yard of the property approximately three weeks ago.

Officers said they are currently reviewing calls for service to the area with regard to a missing person or any other type of incident.

A similar incident was reported recently wherein a resident found a body of a man in the backyard of her house. Minneapolis Police Department later said the man had apparently committed suicide by stabbing himself. Neighbors had described the home where the body was found as a "party house."