SARASOTA, Fla. — Questions have been swimming around for years about the death of a teen who originally went missing from Sarasota.
It has now been five years since Jabez Spann disappeared, last seen in September of 2017 near 22nd Street. Fast forward two years later, in February 2019, the remains of the 14-year-old were found in rural Manatee County.
But even as the years pass, police are not giving up.
"This case remains an active, open, and ongoing investigation," the agency wrote on its Facebook page. "We’re continuing to ask for information in this death investigation. We’ve said it from the beginning and we will say it again. We believe someone in our community knows something. Someone knows what happened to Jabez."
Spann's family said he might have witnessed the murder of 31-year-old Travis Combs before he disappeared.
Family members laid him to rest during a small service in honor of National Missing Children's Day in May 2019.
A $50,000 reward continues to be offered for any information related to the teen's death.
"Please come forward," the police department wrote in the post. "You can remain anonymous."