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Authorities in Florida have launched a massive search effort in the Hungryland Wildlife Preserve after human remains were discovered by a biologist.
The Florida Game and Freshwater Fish Commission began searching for the remains and eventually located a human arm. They then called the Martin County Sheriff's Office for assistance.
As search teams combed the area, they discovered additional human remains, including an arm that was in the mouth of an alligator. The remains were found over a mile apart, and officials suggested that wildlife could have been responsible for moving them.
A sniper was on hand to protect the divers as they searched the "gator-infested waters."
The wildlife preserve has been closed to visitors while teams continue to search the 16,600-acre park.
Officials are trying to determine if the human remains belong to the same person. They said the remains do not appear to have been in the area for a very long time and are hopeful they can pull fingerprints, so they don't have to wait for the results of a DNA test.
Martin County Sheriff William Snyder said they have reached out to officials in Palm Beach County to see if the remains belonged to one of the 16 people who have been reported missing. He noted that the Hungryland Wildlife Preserve has historically been a popular dump site for murder victims.
"We can't rule out the possibility that somebody fell in the water and died of natural causes out here, but it doesn't look like that to us," Snyder said. "One thing we always have to take into consideration is we're just a few miles from Palm Beach County. We have had what we call body dumps, disposing of human remains here in Martin County, that originated in Palm Beach County. That's been going on for decades."