University of South Florida researchers have taken on a former reform school site, to un bury dozens of graves that are believed to have the remains of former abused students, Hit the jump for more details!
The former Arthur G Dozier Reform School for Boys located in the Panhandle town of Marianna, Florida was known for its negative reputation for abuse, beatings, rapes, torture, and even murder of students at the hands of staff.
“Former inmates at the reform school from the 1950s and 1960s have detailed horrific beatings that took place in a small, white concrete block building at the facility. A group of survivors call themselves the “White House Boys” and five years ago called for an investigation into the graves. In 2010, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement ended an investigation and said it could not substantiate or refute claims that boys died at the hands of staff”
The new investigation led by the South Florida researchers is in hopes to find the bodies of the alleged victims as well as their cause of death. The USF researchers took it upon themselves to investigate the site where they found even more unmarked graves. Finally receiving a permit after months of trying the USF research team gained permission to continue research from “Gov. Rick Scott and the state Cabinet after being rejected by Secretary of State Ken Detzner, who reports to Scott”. The goal is to set these bodies to rest properly and in the respects of their family, rather than the tragic way that they have already been buried.
“I think that there are at least 100 more bodies up there,” he said. “At some point they are going to find more bodies, I’m dead certain of that. There has to be a white graveyard on the white side,” stated a representative for the White House Boys, Robert Straley.
Democratic U.S Senator Bill Nelson’s spokesman, Dan Mclaughlin stated in an email:
“Hopefully a lot of questions will soon be answered once the scientists finish unearthing these unmarked graves in `Boot Hill Cemetery,'”
Via FoxNews
