Nassau County police believe skeletal human remains found in a wooded area of Plandome Pond Park in Manhasset may be connected to the disappearance of an elderly woman reported missing late last year, according to Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder.
The remains were discovered Thursday afternoon after members of the Manhasset track team were running through the park and came across what they believed were human remains, Ryder told News 12. Police detectives confirmed the discovery at approximately 5:44 p.m. Oct. 1.
Ryder said investigators have several indicators suggesting the remains may belong to an elderly woman who disappeared late last year approximately four miles from the park. He said police will not confirm the person’s identity until the medical examiner completes its examination.
Police have not publicly identified the missing woman Ryder referenced.
The remains were found in a wooded area between the Long Island Rail Road tracks and the eastern side of Plandome Pond Park, according to News 12. Nassau County police Crime Scene Unit and Homicide Squad detectives returned to the park Friday morning and focused their investigation on woods behind the pond.
North Hempstead Public Safety officers closed the park’s entrances while the investigation continued. The Port Washington Branch of the Long Island Rail Road runs along the eastern side of the park.
Nassau police initially classified the case as an undetermined death and said the investigation remains ongoing.
Police have not announced a cause or manner of death or said whether criminal activity is suspected.
Photo:AITFFan1, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
