Kayaker finds human skull washed up on bank of Cape Coral canal, police say
A kayaker who on Wednesday spotted an object near a Cape Coral canal that he thought was out of the ordinary prompted an investigation.
According to a Cape Coral police incident report, around 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, officers responded to the area of Northeast 19th Place and Kismet Parkway East.
Officers said the call soon became a death investigation.
The kayaker told authorities he saw a human skull washed up on the bank of the canal near Northeast 19th Place and Kismet Parkway East.
In Lehigh Acres: 'Historically significant' skeletal remains found in Lehigh Acres lake, LCSO says
According to police, the kayaker said he didn't touch the skull and immediately returned home to tell his parents.
The kayaker said he then brought his parents to an empty lot across the canal from where he saw the skull.
Cape Coral police said District 21 Medical Examiner's office accepted the skull and police await further forensic testing.
It's the second instance involving the recovery of a human skull in a Lee County body of water in fewer than six months.
'Historically significant' skull found in Lehigh Acres
Divers with the Lee County Sheriff's Office on Nov. 30, 2023, recovered skeletal remains believed "historically significant."
In that instance, the sheriff's office said recreational divers discovered skeletal remains in a lake on Oakridge Circle, near Joel Boulevard, in Lehigh Acres.
The investigation was complicated, the sheriff's office said, with the depth of the lake pushing their dive team nearly 200 feet below the surface to scour the bottom with limited visibility, and 8-foot-long alligators requiring deputies to stand with rifles ready to protect divers.
The probe will point authorities to determine the age and gender of the victim.
Tomas Rodriguez is a Breaking/Live News Reporter for the Naples Daily News and The News-Press. You can reach Tomas at TRodriguez@gannett.com or 772-333-5501. Connect with him on Threads @tomasfrobeltran, Instagram @tomasfrobeltran and Facebook @tomasrodrigueznews.
This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Police: Skull found in Cape Coral canal becomes death investigation
