Skeletal remains found 16 years ago are identified as woman who was never reported missing by her husband

Jeana Lynn Burrus was 39 years old and married with a child at the time of her death, authorities said

A woman whose remains were found in 2007 was just identified but her family never reported her missing (Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office)

Remains that were discovered in 2007 in Sarasota, Florida, have now been identified as belonging to a woman whose husband never reported her missing.

The remains were found in February 2007 “buried in a shallow grave in a wooded area” of Sarasota, according to the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office on Wednesday.

The discovery resulted in a cold case – until November 2022, when the sheriff’s office identified the body as Jeana Lynn Burrus through DNA technology.

Burrus was 39 years old when she died, authorities said. She was married to James Burrus and had one son, who attended Gulf Gate Elementary School between 2005 and 2006, the sheriff’s office wrote. She was unemployed, and her husband worked at a local body shop.

Strangely, her family never reported her missing.

According to Fox 13, a woman who now rents the home where the family used to live said investigators searched it a few months ago, but came up with nothing.

Management at the auto body shop where Mr Burrus used to work also said officers also searched the shop a few months ago but didn’t find anything.

The sheriff’s office added that before moving to Sarasota, the couple had lived in Citrus County, Florida, and Frederick, Maryland.

Criminal court records in Frederick County show that someone with the name Jeana Lynn Burrus was arrested on 14 January 2000 for possession with intent to distribute a controlled dangerous substance. The court filing’s description and age of the defendant also match the one listed by the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office.

The sheriff’s office also confirmed a separate filing in the same court connected to Burrus, which also has the same address for her. That filing shows that she was charged with two felonies and two misdemeanours – one for possession of marijuana.

The address listed in the filing is consistent with property records that show the home belonging to James Burrus.

Strangely, it appears that James Burrus filed for divorce from his wife in July 2015 in Frederick County, but the case was dismissed due to lack of jurisdiction. The court noted that the mail directed to Jeana Burrus was returned, writing: “No such street, unable to forward.”