OCALA, Fla. — A body found in the Ocala National Forest on March 4 has been identified, authorities said.
Deputies said Wednesday that through fingerprint examination, the body was identified as Thomas Lombardo, 44.
Detectives received a tip last week that a body might be buried in the Ocala National Forest near Forest Road 50.
"Without the tip that was given to us, I don't think we would have ever recovered his body. It was a very remote area with limited access," Lauren Lettelier of the Marion County Sheriff's Office said.
Major crimes detectives and evidence technicians, along with the Ocala Police Department and the Medical Examiner’s Office, responded to the area on Friday and discovered Lombardo's body in a grave.
Lombardo’s mother had reported him missing because she had not heard from him since January, authorities said.
Investigators said Lombardo was supposed to be moving to Brevard County to be closer to his family the week before his disappearance.
Officials said he was last seen at a Marion County motel where he was living.
Cox Media Group
