PALM BAY, Fla. – Police in Palm Bay are awaiting confirmation from the medical examiner after human remains were discovered in a wooded area, a development investigators say could be connected to a missing person who has not been seen alive for about a year.
Officers said the remains were found Wednesday in a wooded area along Santo Domingo Avenue. Detectives are working to determine whether the discovery is linked to the missing person case.
As part of the investigation, police executed a search warrant Wednesday morning at a home on Turk Road, prompting a SWAT response that drew the attention of nearby residents.
“They were on the loudspeaker telling people to come out with their hands up,” said neighbor Olivia Coursey, who recorded video from her backyard as officers surrounded the home. “It was very scary.”
Police said during the search of the residence, officers arrested 51-year-old George Mancilla on drug charges after discovering drug residue and paraphernalia inside his bedroom.
Investigators identified Mancilla as a person of interest in the missing person investigation but said he has not been charged in connection with the disappearance.
Detectives said information gathered during the search led them to the wooded area about two miles away, where the remains were discovered. The area was blocked off as crime scene investigators processed the scene.
Corrections records show Mancilla spent much of the past two decades in prison, serving time between 2002 and 2016. He was most recently released in 2024 and has prior felony convictions, including burglary, battery and grand theft.
Police said Mancilla remains in custody at the Brevard County jail on the drug charge and a probation violation.
Investigators emphasized the case remains active and said they are waiting on the medical examiner’s office to identify the remains and determine whether they are connected to the missing person case.