The University of Florida has announced that the remains of 55 bodies have been found in a makeshift graveyard in Tallahassee near a former reform school. A former attendee of the school is convinced there at least 100 more still to be found.
Researchers have been excavating the land around the now-closed Arthur G. Dozier School for Boys since last September and had previously found 31 bodies, which has now been raised to 55. All the coffins found in the grounds were either made by the school or bought straight from manufacturers.
Some bodies were found scattered under trees and fences, away from the makeshift graveyard, indicating there could still be many more bodies waiting to be unearthed. All the bodies were apparently buried between the 1920s and the 1950s. Researchers will now attempt to determine who the bodies are and how they died. Very little is known about any of the bodies at this point, though twelve families have come forward hoping that the remains are those of relatives.
The school opened in 1900 and closed in 2011 for financial reasons. Former inmates of the school have reported horrific treament at the hands of those who were meant to care for them. A former inmate stated that black people and white people were segregated, and the bodies found were buried in the place where black inmates were held. The inmate believes there is probably another white graveyard still to be found.
Unidentified bodies will be re-interred with DNA information in case any family members come forward in the future.
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