The alarm was raised about Alex Hodgson-Doughty when his worried mum called the cops to say she couldn’t reach him in September 2022
Mystery surrounds the death of a British man who went missing while on holiday in Florida nearly two-and-a-half years ago.
The remains of Alex Hodgson-Doughty have now been found in a privately owned wooded area near Kingsland, Georgia, the FBI said. The 32-year-old was reported missing in September 2022 and had been visiting Jacksonville, Florida, about 35 miles south of where his remains were found. The cause and manner of death were not provided.
Now, the FBI has revealed his remains were found after a search carried out by its Evidence Response Team. They were only discovered on February 4, the bureau said in its statement. It said the Medical Examiner’s Office of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation confirmed the remains belonged to Doughty.
Missing persons charity LBT Global, which helps families with relatives who are victims of crimes overseas, said the Brit had paid for a ride to Kingsland on one of the last days he was seen.
When he made his journey, Mr Doughty was witnessed at a Jacksonville bar and grill on Sunday afternoon. Within an hour, he was in Kingsland, a small city on the state’s southwest coast, about three miles north of the Florida border, that touts itself as a destination for outdoor adventure.
A Facebook page called Help Find Alex, told how he had been staying in Orlando when he went 140 miles north to Jacksonville and then north again to Kingsland.
His mother, Pamela Hodgson, wrote on his Facebook page in January 2023: “Alex has been missing now for four months. Please help find him. While there are still uncertainties in Alex’s disappearance … it is believed he stopped in Callahan and/or Fernandina, Fla., on this journey.”
She added that her son “hasn’t been in contact with his friends or family” since arriving in Florida and that his friends and family “are extremely worried about him.”
The National Institute of Justice’s National Missing and Unidentified Persons System page for Mr Doughty said he was last seen at 1am on September 12 in an auto parts store car park.
It also said he had been travelling via a ride-hailing service like Uber. The FBI didn’t provide details on the discovery, stating only that a criminal case was not forthcoming. The bureau indicated that investigators who specialise in tracking mobile phone locations, part of the Jacksonville FBI office’s Cellular Analysis Survey Team, helped locate the remains.
The technology helped investigators locate Alex’s body. An official said, “This isn’t a traditional investigative technique, such as interviews. “We used phone-based location information and geolocation information derived from electronics we surround ourselves with every day to retrace their footsteps and to narrow a search area.
Special Agent in Charge Kristin Rehler said: “While we had hoped to bring Mr Doughty’s family better news, we are thankful to be able to provide them with some closure
“This discovery is the direct result of our partnerships and special agents from FBI Jacksonville’s Cellular Analysis Survey Team, who were relentless in their efforts to narrow down potential search locations.”
