ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — It's one of the first questions that needs to be answered in an investigation. Who is the victim?
Answering that question has been a challenge for police in St. Augustine after a body was found in the San Sebastián River last year. Police don’t believe it was a murder or that any foul play was involved, but a man died and after months of work he remains unidentified.
It all began in the afternoon hours of Aug. 6 of 2022. A kayaker found a body floating near the State Road 16 bridge. Investigators say the man had been in the water for days, making him unrecognizable. He had no identification on him either, but in speaking with local businesses owners they caught a break in the case.
"We had one individual who was able to provide us with a picture of someone who fit his description," tells Detective Brandon Ryland with the St. Augustine Police Department.
A marina owner snapped a picture of a man in a canoe. It was taken in June, about six weeks before the man’s body was found. The man's face is not visible, but you can see his leg, a fishing pole and some of the items in the canoe.
"We have found some of the items that were in the canoe in the picture at a campsite, so we think the subject was camping in a little island in the San Sebastian River," says Sgt. Kevin Carroll.
The island where the campsite was located is not far from the State Road 16 bridge. On the island, the police report notes a blue bean bag was found and a wooden Swiss Army knife with the name “David” on it.
The canoe from the picture was found overturned on the banks of the river.
"We’ve been to all the homeless camps in the area. We have been to the homeless shelters, we have talked to numerous people who live in the area, people that live in the woods close to this area and no one recognizes him," tells Sgt. Caroll.
They say the best description they can give right now of the man in the canoe is a white male, age 20s-40s, about 5’7, no tattoos, but two gold teeth near the front of his mouth.
Sgt. Carroll says while they have collected DNA from the remains and added it to the National Missing and Unidentified Person’s Database, the line to get an unidentified persons DNA tested through NAMUS is very long.
But recently Sgt. Carroll says recently FDLE has taken the DNA to be tested.
"They have accepted DNA from the body and will test it to see if they can find anything, but not everybody’s DNA is on file or in a database," explains Sgt. Carroll.
Whether it be through DNA or someone recognizing the details in this story, they just want to answer the question… who is the man in the canoe?
If you think you can help identify the man in the canoe please contact the St. Augustine Police Department at 904-825-1070.