Homeless Man Carries Skull to Publix Store

Shopping is meant to be a pleasure at Publix grocery stores, but some customers in Florida’s Roseland area may have had a less-than-desirable experience earlier this week.

According to the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office, a homeless man found human remains around 10 a.m. Tuesday. Wanting to alert authorities to the discovery, he picked up the skull and toted into the parking lot of the Riverwalk Plaza. Standing outside the Publix store, the man showed customers the skull and ended up putting it on top of a garbage can to attract enough attention to get someone to call law enforcement for him.

The show-and-tell more than got people’s attention with law enforcement called to the scene rather quickly.

Nick Pecoraro, a witness to the bizarre incident, told WPBF the man carried the skull through the parking lot “like a puppet.” He also noted the skull had a horrible smell.

Deputies wasted no time checking out the wooded area across the street where the man said he made the grisly discovery. The rest of the remains were found about 200 feet east of U.S. 1.

“The bones were slightly scattered in a manner consistent with animal disruption,” the sheriff’s office wrote in a media release. “The general area is frequented by a small homeless population estimated at 5 to 7 people but is known for transient visitors and varying amounts of temporary occupants.”

Deputies interviewed members of the homeless population that take up residence in the woods and found them cooperative, the agency noted. The identity of the victim, however, still remains a mystery. The person’s gender and cause of death also remain unclear.

Anyone with information related to the death or who might know the possible identity of the person is asked to call Det. Kevin Heinig at 772-978-6121.

Image via Shutterstock