Body of teen who disappeared after witnessing slaying found

SARASOTA, Fla. – Florida authorities have found the body of a 14-year-old boy who disappeared in 2017 days after he witnessed a man’s slaying.

Sarasota Deputy Police Chief Pat Robinson told reporters on Tuesday that the body of Jabez Spann had been found over the weekend in a rural area in neighbouring Manatee County. The body was identified by dental records. No cause of death was announced, but the case is being investigated as a homicide.

Spann disappeared on Sept. 4, 2017, about a week after police say he witnessed the slaying of 31-year-old Travis Combs.

Police reports say three men chased Combs into a field next to his home just as Spann was leaving a friend’s house next door. Spann saw the men shoot Combs and flee.