Human jawbone found in sand by beachgoers on an evening stroll

A man and a woman who were on an evening stroll at a Long Island beach made a grisly discovery in the sand.

The pair were walking at Smith Point County Park shortly before 5pm on Monday when they saw what looked like a human jawbone in the sand, according to the Suffolk County Police Department.

They notified a beach attendant, who contacted authorities.

The remains were taken to the county medical examiner’s office, which confirmed they belonged to a human.

An investigation continues to identify the jawbone to an individual.

Anyone with information on the case is urged to contact the police department’s homicide squad.

The discovery was made on the south shore of Long Island, New York, and about 42 miles east of Gilgo Beach.

Hearings are ongoing for Rex Heuerman, the accused Gilgo Beach serial killer who has been charged with murdering seven sex workers from Long Island. Victims’ remains were found on Ocean Parkway from December 2010 to April 2011. Heuermann was arrested in July 2023 and was charged with murdering the seventh victim last Tuesday.

And in March 2023, a human bone was uncovered in the sand at Shirley Beach, which is also on the south end of the island. A police spokesperson told Greater Long Island that detectives are looking into whether the latest jawbone finding is linked to that case.

The jawbone was spotted at Smith Point County Park a month-and-a-half after a human head washed up at Key Biscayne in Florida. The head was found by a beach worker who was raking sand and he called 911. The case was being investigated as a homicide and authorities could not immediately say if it was connected to a teenager who was swimming in the area and vanished. No human remains had been uncovered in the area prior.

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