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Human remains found behind home of Disney World employee, missing since 2015

Posted at 4:55 PM, Mar 12, 2018
and last updated 2018-03-12 16:55:14-04

LAKE COUNTY, Fla. – Investigators unearthed more human remains in the backyard of a Florida home belonging to a man who disappeared three years ago.

The home belongs to Disney World worker Michael Shaver, 35, according to the Orlando Sentinel.

Authorities made the initial grisly find underneath a fire pit on Friday.

"It was just a shoddy concrete job, poured around this fire pit, so we began focusing our efforts there, and I can tell you we found what appears to be a bone that is consistent with that of a human upper arm bone," Lake County Sheriff's Office Lt. John Herrell told WKMG.

Authorities found other skeletal remains and pieces of clothing Saturday. An identification and cause of death are not yet known, pending a full report from the medical examiner's office.

The sheriff's office didn't learn that Shaver was missing until they did a well-being check on him on February 16 after a friend spoke with law enforcement. His wife, Laurie Shaver, told the investigators she hadn't had any contact with him since 2015, and allowed them to look around the home.

After they noticed the fire pit in the backyard, Shaver's wife abruptly ended the search and demanded a lawyer, according to WKMG. Authorities returned with a warrant and a cadaver dog that alerted to the concrete Friday.

When asked why no one had reported his disappearance, Shaver's 46-year-old sister, Stacie, told authorities "we thought we could find him on our own," according to the Orlando Sentinel.

Family members told the paper that Shaver worked at the Orlando theme park as a monorail mechanic.