CLERMONT, Fla. -- The Lake County Sheriff's Office confirmed Friday that remains found at a Clermont home back in March are those of 36-year-old Michael Shaver.
- Remains found at Clermont home are of Michael Shaver
- Shaver was last seen in 2015
- Cause of death has not yet been determined
- PREVIOUS STORIES:
- Lake County deputies investigate Clermont man's disappearance
- During search for missing man, deputies find human remains behind his home
The remains were found under a concrete slab at a home on Sandy Pines Road belonging to Laurie Shaver, Shaver's wife.
He lived at the Sandy Pines Road property and was last seen in late 2015.
"It's crazy, we have a pretty quiet neighborhood. I can’t believe it happened. You watch TV and you watch things like this, but don’t necessarily thinks it's going to happen right across the street," said Curt Ruhl, who lives across the street from the Shaver residence.
The sheriff's office began searching for Shaver in February after a friend filed a missing persons report. Scott Amatuccio told Spectrum News 13 at the time that he had assumed his friend had just moved on with life, but after a couple years he said things weren't making sense.
The Lake County Sheriff's Office said when they asked Laurie Shaver if they could search the property with cadaver dogs last February, she asked them to leave.
In March, they returned with a search warrant and spent two days digging in the backyard. Deputies said they found human remains and clothing under a fire pit.
"The remains that we located there on the property were in a stage of decomp and that presents it's own sets of challenges to the anthropologist at the lab," said Lt John Herrell with the Lake County Sheriff's Office.
Deputies say Laurie Shaver told them her husband left in 2015.
"Laurie Shaver’s our suspect. Make no mistake about it she is our suspect," Herrell said, adding that detectives believe she is the last person to see Shaver alive.
Authorities say they're waiting to find out the manner and cause of death before they can move forward.
Laurie Shaver's attorney says she's been cooperating and consented for authorities to collect her DNA.
Ruhl says it's sad to hear that his neighbor was found buried in his own backyard.
"I'm thinking about the kids and what they think happened to their, Dad and if they’re ever going to find out what happened," he said.
The cause of death has not yet been determined by the Medical Examiner's Office.
The sheriff's office says the investigation is still ongoing at this time.
Reporter Sarah Panko contributed to this report.