Daveanand Lee Thomas, 27, of North Miami Beach, Florida, was found buried in a backyard in Miramar in a state of advanced decomposition. Investigators excavated a six-foot-by-eight-foot area and recovered his body about four feet underground in a semi-fetal position; dental records and DNA from his son later confirmed his identity. The medical examiner reported a single shotgun wound to the right upper back with pellets penetrating the aorta, left lung, and left diaphragm, causing a ruptured stomach and gastric contents in the chest.

Wet sand deep in Thomas’s larynx and trachea matched sand atop the burial, a finding described as consistent with burial while he was still breathing. A 12-gauge shotgun without serial numbers and a box of ammunition were recovered in the defendant’s tent; the defendant has denied responsibility and criticized the investigation. Thomas was last seen by a witness named Bisnett on August 7, and he was found wearing the same clothes and jewelry from that sighting.

Anyone with information about Thomas’s last movements or the property in Miramar is asked to come forward.